


Finding Beauty in Barcelona

by xo_thefirst



Series: City Street Lights [5]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Doctors!AU, F/M, Insecurity, M/M, Medical Jargon, Mild Pet Play, Possible Inaccurate Descriptions of Foreign Places, Semi-Public Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-10-08 07:31:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 23,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10381665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xo_thefirst/pseuds/xo_thefirst
Summary: What’s a trip to Barcelona without a few surprises in store?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Additional Tags: mentions of divorce and infidelity, mentions of past relationships (not between baeksoo), possible inaccurate descriptions of barcelona and/or pet play omg i’m sorry i tried pls forgive i just wanted one of them in a collar
> 
> (ps. also i love heize why is there no official tag for her yet)

If Baekhyun had been counting, he’d say that he and Kyungsoo have been dating for almost six years, ten months, and four days. It’s been one hell of a ride, from the moment they met to where they are now, but he doesn’t think he’d trade it for anything else in the world.

In the beginning, Kyungsoo never really caught his eye. He blended in with the rest of their class, studying and trying to stay afloat in the complicated world of medicine, but he had been the friend of a friend, someone who would join in their study groups every so often, and Baekhyun thinks that’s when it started. They would drink cups of coffee one right after another, staying up all night to study for an exam every two weeks and hope to barely pass, and by the time their third year came around, Baekhyun had started to wonder _what is he like outside of the library? Outside of campus grounds?_

Baekhyun would ask Kyungsoo fifteen minutes of his time between rotations during their third year of clinicals, bring him to that small convenience store by the hospital he now works at full-time, and buy him a cup of ramen to match his own, only to make sure that Kyungsoo would eat while doing his trauma rotation and figuring out that trauma surgery isn’t for him. He would take him there at least once a week, listen to him grumble into his noodles about how _I can’t believe Jongdae likes kids enough to become a pediatrician_ and how _honestly, some psychiatric patients scare me, I’m not sure I can handle it_. He’d take him there in the hopes that he could worm his way into Kyungsoo’s life, into his heart, because he thought Kyungsoo was something else. He thought Kyungsoo was _that special someone_ he had always heard stories about, from his parents and his brother, and he’s always wanted _that special someone_.

And one night, at two in the morning in between his thirty-six hour ICU and Kyungsoo’s twelve hour general surgery rotations, Baekhyun asked Kyungsoo to go eat some ramen at that convenience store, sleepily mumbled “It’d be nice to wake up to your face in two hours,” and accidentally–but wholeheartedly–, asked Kyungsoo to be his boyfriend. Kyungsoo had said, “uh, okay?” and Baekhyun had refused to let Kyungsoo take those words back because he finally was able to somewhat, kinda, ask the man to be his. Well, that and the fact they continued to have their little convenience store dates and ended up sleeping at whoever’s apartment was closest to their next clinical rotation.

But, that’s only if Baekhyun had been counting, and getting lost in his thoughts about Kyungsoo, because this tends to happen if he’s not focusing on his own patients in the emergency room and making sure there are actually no emergencies needing to be helped. If he hadn’t been counting, he’d say that he and Kyungsoo have been dating for a really, really long time. He’d really like to be his husband, if it could happen. But then there’s that fear instilled in him, from seeing so many of his friends get divorced and remarried and dating others outside of their supposedly exclusive relationship.

Seventy-five percent of doctors get a divorce, because they spend too much time in the office, too much time focusing on patients or looking at that brand new car or house, and they forget about the important people in their lives. They forget about their children at home, wanting to go to the nearby park with their mother, because they want their mom to see them do a cartwheel they just mastered. They forget about their spouses or significant others at home, choosing to take care of their pets or children or the house, because they’re too busy eyeing the new nurse on the floor or the new doctor just out of residency.

Baekhyun has seen Chanyeol go through a divorce, getting married to his high school sweetheart while he was still in medical school only to find that once he made it as a newly graduated resident, his wife had been cheating on him for a year and none of them knew. Baekhyun had no idea his best friend was being cheated on and he couldn’t do anything to stop it the moment it started. He’s seen Chanyeol give up their house to move to an apartment, because Chanyeol felt _sorry_ for the girl and he could always make up the money easy.

Baekhyun doesn’t want to go through that.

So, he figures if he and Kyungsoo don’t actually get married, then they’ll never have the need to go through a divorce. There would be no reason to make things messier than they should be and there shouldn’t be such hard feelings because _well, we’re just another part of a statistic, right? It was bound to happen?_

It’s a fear he knows Kyungsoo hates. Kyungsoo always assures him that he’s not going anywhere. He knows him better than he knows himself and he somehow _knows_ that they’re going to make it even though it was Baekhyun who sought him out, who helped him and gave him too much love because he couldn’t keep it to himself. Sometimes, Baekhyun knows Kyungsoo gets insecure, because he’s seen Chanyeol go through it too, has seen Wonshik and Jongdae talk out old stories and old feelings because Jongdae and Hyunah were never as great a match as Hyunah and Wonshik, but there’s still that sliver of hope and love and reassurance within Kyungsoo that Baekhyun knows disappears from himself every once in a while. They work it out, in whatever way is needed at the time, and then that flare of hope is back in Baekhyun’s heart, because Kyungsoo always makes sure the heart is working at its best whenever its in his care.

Baekhyun really does love Kyungsoo, even when he loses track of himself in the ER and in paperwork and in conferences halfway around the world. He loves him and he really doesn’t know how else to show it, other than saying it and making love. Sometimes, he shows it by annoying the other until all he gets is a half-hearted glare and Kyungsoo grumbling until he does something sweet, like share his ice cream with Baekhyun voluntarily in the middle of their trip.

And it always makes Baekhyun smile this ridiculously large smile, the one where his canines show and he hopes the happiness he feels bursting in him is showing through his eyes. With the way that Kyungsoo softens though, turns in his seat until he’s huddling in close to Baekhyun, that’s enough for him.

“These seats really aren’t the best,” Kyungsoo murmurs, keeping his eyes glued to his ice cream as he scoops small bits of it every few seconds. His gaze keeps flickering to Baekhyun’s own rocky road ice cream and, without a word, simply takes a spoonful from his outstretched hand to taste some.

Baekhyun’s smile fades to a grin, savoring Kyungsoo’s birthday cake flavor in his mouth. “It’s the airport after all,” he says, feeling warmth bloom in his chest instead of the coldness from the frozen dessert. He shifts a bit in his seat, makes sure their carry-on bags are still nestled between their legs on the ground. “Four more hours and we’ll be in Barcelona.”

Kyungsoo hums, moves in a little more until Baekhyun has to lean back and balance his small ice cream cup on his thigh, because if cuddles is what Kyungsoo wants, cuddles is what Kyungsoo gets. Baekhyun easily wraps an arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders, bringing him in close, and watches as his boyfriend holds onto his dessert to keep it from toppling over onto the ground.

“I told you to wear a thicker jacket,” Baekhyun scolds, using his left hand to scoop ice cream from his cup instead. He stares at Kyungsoo’s grey sweater pointedly, knowing that doesn’t do much to prevent the chill of the London airport and the outside weather from seeping in. “You should’ve worn your poofy one.”

“The one that makes me look like some penguin?” Kyungsoo scoffs. “No, thanks.”

Baekhyun laughs, “You make such an adorable penguin though.” He yelps at the pinch on his hand, turning to glare uselessly at Kyungsoo, only to gasp for another reason entirely when he feels plush lips graze along his cheek next to his ear.

“I’d rather have _you_ warm me up instead,” Kyungsoo whispers, leaving a ghost of a kiss underneath his ear, before he’s finishing off his ice cream. He doesn’t look affected the slightest bit, starting to pick at Baekhyun’s uneaten ice cream next, but Baekhyun _knows_ this game he plays. It usually ends with one of their pants off and red swollen lips, _at least_.

“If we could have biological children, I swear we’d have at least three by now” is what Baekhyun says instead, now fighting Kyungsoo’s mini-spoon with his own for the last two scoops of ice cream. It makes Kyungsoo laugh, making Baekhyun laugh in turn, and he swears his heart stops when Kyungsoo almost lets go of the bowl and it goes toppling over onto the floor. It doesn’t though, and they each get one last scoop of the chocolatey goodness before he gets up to throw the trash away.

Their layover in London is two hours. Their flight from Incheon to here was at least twelve and Baekhyun really wonders if Sunyoung is going to make the conference on time. Granted, it’s the next day, but he’s always really hated how complicated time zones can be. Jongdae is supposed to be accompanying her as well, but he doesn’t know if he was able to switch out of his shifts in time for it either.

When Baekhyun returns to his seat, it’s to have Kyungsoo immediately lean into his space. He wraps his arm around his shoulders without a second thought and grabs the water bottle Kyungsoo offers him, to help wash away some of the remaining sweetness in his mouth. “Four more hours,” Kyungsoo muses, as he looks through the events on his phone. “We should arrive around five or six in the afternoon in Barcelona.”

Baekhyun hums in response, looking down at Kyungsoo’s phone too to see what else is planned. “Should we try and find a restaurant for dinner? I feel like room service or the hotel restaurant is our best bet for the first night though.”

“It’s like you’ve read my mind,” Kyungsoo murmurs, corner of his lips tilting up into a smile when he lifts his head to look at him. It doesn’t fail to make Baekhyun’s heart skip a beat. “Let’s do room service if the hotel restaurant doesn’t look too good.”

Baekhyun laughs, reaching out to poke Kyungsoo in the cheek. “Or are you saying that so we have time to do other things than going out and exploring the city?”

“Please,” Kyungsoo scoffs, rolling his eyes, before he’s staring back down at his phone. Baekhyun tries to stifle his next burst of laughter. “Your conference is only two days. We still have almost three to explore the places we want to explore.”

“That’s true,” Baekhyun agrees, leaning back more so Kyungsoo could feel as comfortable as possible. Though, with the way his forearm is steadily digging into his thigh and his head is finding its way into the crook of his neck, Baekhyun thinks Kyungsoo is mighty comfortable and relaxed. He smiles at the thought, leaning over to leave a soft kiss on the crown of Kyungsoo’s head. “You haven’t been this relaxed in a long time, huh?”

Kyungsoo’s laughter is soft, music to Baekhyun’s ears, and he hums as he listens to the hustle and bustle of the airport around them. “A trip to Barcelona,” he says. “Who wouldn’t be this relaxed?”

Well, that’s true too.

 

It takes five and a half hours to finally leave the airport and arrive to their hotel. Baekhyun hadn’t expected the thirty minute delay with landing and parking the plane, but he guesses it wasn’t all that bad when he grabs the second small suitcase and turns to see Kyungsoo standing next to him, wide eyes staring at everything around them. Their hotel is absolutely beautiful, with plenty of gardens surrounding the historical building and wonderful staff members already grabbing their suitcases to bring inside, but he thinks the true beauty is in Kyungsoo’s eyes. They’re bright when he looks at him, the corners of his lips quirking up into his pleased smile, and he laughs as Kyungsoo immediately leaves him to follow the bellboy to the entrance and front desk.

Unlike Baekhyun’s still accented English, Kyungsoo’s is flawless. He lets him check them in, receiving the keys to their room, and follows behind him as they trail after the bellboy bringing their luggage for them. He watches as Kyungsoo makes small talk, his deep laughter echoing in the elevator, and Baekhyun can’t believe how beautiful everything is.

And then they’re taken to the penthouse suite.

Baekhyun’s jaw drops when the door opens and all he sees is wide-open space. The living room is large, their bed is large, and they have an outside balcony with a terrace porch and a Jacuzzi hot tub off to the side. He wants to say this is too much, that they shouldn’t be spending so much money, but then he slides his gaze over to Kyungsoo who’s giving the bellboy a tip before he leaves and he has to swallow the lump in his throat when he sees the look in his boyfriend’s eyes.

It’s the look that matches his words from the London airport, where Baekhyun knows one of their pants are coming off sooner rather than later, but then all Kyungsoo does is smile. His eyes crinkle and the full heart-shape of his lips appear and Baekhyun doesn’t know whether to collapse to the floor in the exaggerated form of a heart attack or not. “Springing for the penthouse suite was probably the best choice for this trip,” Kyungsoo comments and, yeah, Baekhyun’s about to dramatically collapse onto the floor in front of him. “I wonder if anything else will top it off.”

“I can top _you_ off,” Baekhyun blurts without thinking, immediately wanting to punch himself in the face for it after. But then he realizes, a moment too late when Kyungsoo is slowly backing him up against the door, that it doesn’t really matter if he’s embarrassing or not. Kyungsoo’s been dating him for almost seven years now and he hasn’t given any indication he wants him gone yet. He’s in the clear for now– oh.

Kyungsoo is now pushing into Baekhyun’s personal space, making him gasp at how close he is, before he’s kissing him on the lips. It makes Baekhyun feel like he’s in high school all over again, instantly reaching out to grab onto Kyungsoo’s hips, and pull him in closer until all he can feel, hear, and taste is Kyungsoo, Kyungsoo, _Kyungsoo_.

Kyungsoo tastes like the complimentary chocolates he took from the small bowl at the front desk, sweet and lovely. Baekhyun wants more when Kyungsoo pulls away to trail kisses along his jaw. He whines at the feeling, the kisses soft and fluttery, and he feels his knees buckle when Kyungsoo gently nudges a thigh between his legs. His grip tightens on Kyungsoo’s waist, relying on him to keep him pinned back onto the door, and he can’t help the moan that falls from his lips when Kyungsoo palms him through his pants.

He’s slowly getting hard, whining when Kyungsoo’s other hand starts rubbing his thumb over his nipple through his shirt, and he forgets to breathe when Kyungsoo gently kisses his chest over his heart before making his way down onto his knees in front of him. Baekhyun thinks this is a beautiful sight too. The way Kyungsoo easily unbuttons his pants and pushes it down his legs is practiced, something that might regularly occur in their relationship, and it only makes Baekhyun harder, whining when Kyungsoo moves in to leave gentle kisses along his hard dick in his boxer-briefs. He even goddamn _nuzzles_ his cock, a soft sigh escaping his lips at the feeling of it against his cheek, and Baekhyun is definitely going to have a heart attack.

Cause of death: infuriatingly sexy cardiologist Dr. Do Kyungsoo. Who knew?

It feels like it takes forever. Kyungsoo kisses, licks, and gently fondles his balls through his underwear, seeming to take his sweet precious time, and Baekhyun almost shouts in pleasure when Kyungsoo suddenly pulls his underwear down, soft lips mouthing along his bare cock as he barely strokes it with his hand.

By nature, Kyungsoo isn’t very loud, even in bed. So when he starts to moan, flicking his tongue along the slit of Baekhyun’s cock to catch the beading precum, Baekhyun knows Kyungsoo is gone. “Holy _shit_.” He doesn’t have much to hold onto except Kyungsoo’s hair, so he reaches out with a hand, tangles fingers in the soft strands, and steadies himself between his boyfriend and the door. “Soo.”

Kyungsoo slips his lips over the head of Baekhyun’s cock, tongue gently pressing underneath the tip, and fucking _hums_ in response. Baekhyun short-circuits at that, hips twitching forward to chase that heat, and he whimpers when Kyungsoo immediately pulls off, hand gripping tighter around his cock and stroking it faster than he did before.

Kyungsoo sits back on his heels, staring up at Baekhyun, and Baekhyun doesn’t even know what to do but keep thrusting into the tight, warm fingers of his boyfriend’s hand. It quickly becomes slick with his precum, making the slide much smoother. Baekhyun can’t take his eyes off of his boyfriend, the way his eyes darken dangerously in front of him, and he starts to shake with the need to cum.

It’s too much, the little ball of heat coiling tighter in the pit of his stomach, and he moans when Kyungsoo licks his lips, breathes a little quicker, and whispers, “Good boy, Baek.” And then he’s gone. He comes, stilling as he paints Kyungsoo’s lips and cheeks white, and he shakes as Kyungsoo takes over, stroking his cock and making sure he catches every single drop. He licks at the slit when he starts to dribble and Baekhyun can’t help but moan, fingers loosening from Kyungsoo’s hair to gently push him away. He leaves one soft kiss at the tip of his dick before he moves and Baekhyun slumps to the floor.

There’s a shit-eating grin on Kyungsoo’s face, though if Baekhyun were being accurate– He’s too tired to think of it. “What the hell,” he breathes instead, whining, as he watches Kyungsoo run a finger through the mess on his cheek and then lick it off. “Soo.”

“I don’t think I’ve called you a good boy in a while” is the answer he gets and Baekhyun groans as he feels something within his dick twitch at the words. Damn kink. “To start off our stay in Barcelona,” he says, in perfect English, accentuating the ‘l.’ He licks another stripe of cum off his finger and Baekhyun tries to kick him, only to earn amused laughter in return.

“I hate you,” Baekhyun mumbles, though it’s half-hearted. His gaze falls to Kyungsoo’s cock next, evidently straining against his pants. “Come here.” He’s half-surprised to see Kyungsoo shake his head, crawling towards him to give him a soft kiss on the lips instead.

“Let’s shower first, eat dinner, and then you can fuck me on the terrace.”

“What the hell is Barcelona doing to you?” Baekhyun breathes in English, staring at his boyfriend bewildered and slightly in awe. “Holy shit.”

All Kyungsoo does is laugh, giving him another kiss on the forehead, before he’s moving away and to their luggage to get situated in the room. All Baekhyun does is stay slumped against the door with his pants and underwear down his legs and soft dick out in the open. Kyungsoo hasn’t been like this in a long time and Baekhyun doesn’t know if he can keep up, warily eyeing him for a good ten minutes before he’s getting up to help him.

 

Showering with Kyungsoo is a luxury Baekhyun thinks everyone should have. Though, he isn’t entirely sure about sharing his boyfriend with everyone else, because he’s his, but it should be unfair how unhealthily attractive Kyungsoo is. Naked, he’s a sight to behold and Baekhyun almost melts to the floor when he sees Kyungsoo reach out to grab their container of shampoo. Kyungsoo’s facing away from him minding his own business, but it just means Baekhyun has the wonderful opportunity to admire his boyfriend’s back, his soft waist, and his surprisingly perky ass. He still has no idea where Kyungsoo gets it, since he usually focuses more on his arms than his legs when working out, but he’s still not going to complain about it one bit.

“Let’s go to _Lasarte_ on Friday,” Kyungsoo says, conversationally, and it takes a moment for Baekhyun to look away from Kyungsoo’s waist, think about how soft his body is in his hands when he holds him. He’s not surprised to see Kyungsoo looking over his shoulder at him, in the middle of washing his hair, with a sparkle of amusement dancing in his eyes. “Am I distracting you there?”

Baekhyun looks down to his own hands, not even realizing he’s holding the bottle of shampoo now, and how on earth is he even a physician if someone _like Kyungsoo_ can distract him so easily from every day tasks. Suddenly, soapy hands breach his field of vision and he hums softly when they gently take hold of his own waist, Kyungsoo’s soft smile directed at him when he looks up.

“You’re attractive wet,” Kyungsoo comments, laughing when Baekhyun pushes him to stand underneath the showerhead in retaliation. He tries to keep his eyes and mouth closed to prevent the soapsuds from getting into them.

Watching Kyungsoo rinse his hair, now humming along to a song they heard on the radio earlier, makes Baekhyun’s heart warm. He smiles without knowing, starting to actually wash his hair and body, and he hums along with his boyfriend as they switch places so he can rinse all the suds from his body. “That’s one of the restaurants with the three Michelin stars, right?” he says, once he’s in the clear from getting soap in his mouth.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo says, already stepping out of the shower and grabbing a towel to wrap around his waist. “It received the honor earlier this year.”

“Then let’s go,” Baekhyun says without a second thought, before he gently scrubs at his face with his hands. He knows visiting all the restaurants with three Michelin stars has been on Kyungsoo’s bucket list for as long as he’s known him. It’d be a tragedy if they couldn’t go to the one in Barcelona while they’re here. “Do we have to make reservations for it?” he calls out, hearing shuffling in the background.

“I already made them three months ago, just in case.”

It takes a moment for the information to sink in, another moment for Baekhyun to turn off the shower and fumble for a towel, before he’s stepping out and it clicks into place when he sees Kyungsoo in dark jeans and a simple long-sleeved shirt pulled up to the elbows. He’s even attractive _clothed_ and Baekhyun still doesn’t understand life itself. “You reserved us seats right when I accepted the offer to go to this conference?”

Kyungsoo’s smile is bright, mischievous, and Baekhyun doesn’t even feel surprised anymore. “I made _sure_ we’d get seats if we were coming to Spain.”

Baekhyun can’t help but laugh, shaking his head at his boyfriend in disbelief, before Kyungsoo is leaving the room with another pleased smile on his face.

 

Dinner in the hotel is a pleasantly confusing affair. There’s a different cuisine than Baekhyun is used to, a different language he isn’t as proficient in as he’d like, but he follows after Kyungsoo’s lead when they go to another country. He catches onto his words, the way he appreciates each new dish he tries and communicates with his eyes, and it makes Baekhyun giddy to see Kyungsoo bringing back plate after plate from the buffet-style restaurant they’re in. He doesn’t usually eat as much as Kyungsoo, but he’s really making him want to try.

“This cake is _fantastic_ ,” Kyungsoo gushes, before switching over to a plate that looks like it has meat on it. “This is going to clog my arteries and it’s going to be wonderful.”

Baekhyun laughs, stares at his boyfriend incredulously. “Slow down, Soo. They don’t close for another couple of hours.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Kyungsoo waves off. “That means there’s more to eat.”

“And we have _six more days_ to try everything else,” Baekhyun compromises, worried for a moment his boyfriend might have a heart attack and would have to treat himself, if that’s even possible. He reaches out and grabs a piece of the cake with his fork. “Seriously, you’re going to have indigestion later.”

Kyungsoo shrugs. “I’ll go into a food coma. That’s completely normal.”

“Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun whines, knocking his boyfriend’s fork away from eating some other delicious-looking food next. “Please slow down.” Kyungsoo spares him a glance but does as told, slowing down the littlest bit before he’s swallowing and opening his mouth towards him. Baekhyun stares at him, confused, because– “What are you doing? You’ve obviously swallowed your food.”

“No shit, Sherlock.” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “If I’m going to slow down on eating, then you’re going to feed me.”

Baekhyun gapes at him. “What?”

“Feed me, and I’ll reward you later.”

Baekhyun’s jaw drops to the floor. “ _What?_ You’ve _never_ let me feed you before.” His mind instantly flashes to Kyungsoo deepthroating him like a champ and he chokes on air. With the smile growing on Kyungsoo’s lips though, he probably knows what he’s thinking. “I’m not feeding you,” he hisses, removing his fork from Kyungsoo’s plates. “Eat as much as you want.” He catches his boyfriend’s amused stare as he continues eating, but Baekhyun can’t even look up from his own plate long enough in fear of choking on air again.

 

The convention center is fifteen minutes away from Baekhyun’s hotel. It doesn’t take very long for him to get ready. He takes a quick shower, puts on his suit and forgoes the tie, and leaves a kiss on a sleeping Kyungsoo’s forehead before he leaves. He has more than thirty minutes to spare when he makes it to the conference and he smiles when he catches sight of an old friend already mingling and grabbing breakfast from the display table.

“Hey, Minseok,” he calls, smiling when Minseok looks over to him and a smile grows on his face. “Is the breakfast good?”

“You’re kidding me, right?” Minseok laughs, excusing himself from the group of doctors he’s with to walk over to him instead. His plate is full of mini muffins and fresh fruit. “Spain always has the best fruits every time I come here.” He holds his plate out, offering Baekhyun a quick taste. “It’s been a while, Baekhyun. How’s Kyungsoo? You’re still together, right?”

Baekhyun laughs softly, plucking a strawberry from his plate. “Yeah, we’re still together. He’s good.”

Minseok hums, turning to go back to the table of food. “That’s good to hear. I’m glad it’s working out for you.”

Baekhyun follows after him as he searches for Sunyoung. She should’ve made it to Barcelona in the middle of the night, but he doesn’t know if she’d have enough time to get some rest and get ready. He turns back to Minseok with a smile when they stop, reaching out to grab his own plate and stuffing it full before going to find their seats.

Minseok was one of his coworkers in the hospital before he met someone and was convinced to move to Jeju Island because his boyfriend wanted to live near the ocean. It was a strange relationship, one that Baekhyun and Kyungsoo discuss every now and then because they worry, and it seems like it did something to their friend in the end. After the break-up, Minseok apparently moved to Canada, got a fellowship, and became a Canadian citizen to work there. Since then, they haven’t gotten in touch much, but they’ve heard Minseok’s been doing well. He’s quiet as usual and Baekhyun hums to get his attention.

“How have you been?” he asks, watching as everyone else around them mingles with others and finds seats before the program starts. “Are you still practicing in Canada?”

Minseok laughs softly, “Yeah.” He looks over to him, and Baekhyun doesn’t know what he sees on him, but Minseok’s smile turns wistful. “Canada is nice. It’s pretty,” he falls silent, almost like a pause, before he speaks again. “I met this girl, dated her for a while, realized she wanted me for my money and my background, so I broke up with her.”

Well, that was more information than Baekhyun expected.

He opens his mouth, to offer his condolences, but then Minseok is speaking again, voice softer than before. “Do you remember Yifan?” It takes a few minutes for Baekhyun to remember a large man with large hands and a gummy smile.

“Yeah?” he says, jumping when he feels a hand touch his shoulder. He looks over to see Sunyoung taking her seat next to him, tired smile on her face. “Oh, hey, Sunyoung. You made it.”

Sunyoung sighs, closing her eyes and lounging back to relax. “Yeah, just in time. Jongdae’s here too. He took care of everything.” She opens an eye and offers a smile to Minseok. “Hey, Minseok. How are you?”

Whatever Minseok was about to say about Yifan, he keeps quiet about it. He simply gives Baekhyun a look that makes him curious about this Yifan and what their relation is together. “Hey, Sunyoung,” he greets, offering her a brighter smile. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“With ten minutes to spare,” Baekhyun adds, causing the two around him to laugh. He smiles, a little pleased with himself, before he offers his own food to Sunyoung. “Here, eat some fruits or something. I grabbed a lot.”

All she does is give him a grateful smile before plucking pieces of pomegranate off his plate to eat.

 

Before Baekhyun knows it, he spends eight hours in a conference room talking about strokes, heart attacks, and sepsis protocols. They’re all diseases he’s heard and dealt with more times than he can count–the same could be said for the rest of them since, well, they’re all emergency room physicians–and he doesn’t realize how much fresh air he needs until he’s stepping out into the warm sun with Minseok and Sunyoung in tow.

They’re both following him out, talking about something related to their profession, and Baekhyun thinks he really needs a break from it all, waiting by the curb with the other physicians who are still mingling and actually talking about something different than what they do. He hears plans about traveling to the next cities over and seeing the sights. He hears desires to go back home because Barcelona isn’t really living up to their expectations. He thinks they’re crazy, but he doesn’t spare them another thought as he takes his phone out of his pocket, surprised to see several messages from Kyungsoo and even a couple from Jongdae.

One of Kyungsoo’s messages is a picture of the breakfast he’s eaten. It’s on a tray on his lap, obviously room service, and Baekhyun tries not to laugh when Kyungsoo types under it: _I can’t believe this is the best breakfast I’ve ever eaten in my thirty-four years of life_.

 _Our balcony is so nice, Baekhyun. We really do have a nice view_.

 _I’m going to go into the town to check out the market. I’ll bring back some snacks or something for later_.

 _Please don’t say anything about my appetite; you know how I am, especially in a place like this_.

The next two texts are from Jongdae: _Hey Baekhyun, Kyungsoo’s been texting me saying he’s in some market so I’m going to go meet him_.

 _Holy shit, Baekhyun. Do you remember Dahye? Like, singer-songwriter-photographer Heize? Jang Dahye? She’s here and holy crap she’s talking to Kyungsoo about fruits or something oh shit now me okay help_.

That one makes Baekhyun’s eyes widen, immediately looking over to Sunyoung who’s still talking to Minseok, and remembers the time Jongdae dated Dahye back in university. They all had a similar love of music at the time and Jongdae had fallen in love with her passion for it and her seriously loveable personality. She would always kiss her friends’ cheeks for no reason at all and Baekhyun’s pretty sure that’s the reason Jongdae fell in love with her. That was after Hyunah and before Sunyoung and yeah, he wonders if Jongdae texted his wife about that yet.

 _Hey, Jongdae and I met up with a woman named Dahye? Jongdae knows her. Anyways, we’re at the café called Caracas nearest the hotel. Come meet us when you and Sunyoung are done_.

Baekhyun reads the text on his phone before looking over to Sunyoung, watching as she catches his gaze and gives him a curious look, before smiling and turning to Minseok who’s reading something on his phone too. “Hey, Minseok. Do you want to come with us? We’re going to hang out for a bit.”

“Oh, Jongdae met up with Kyungsoo?” Sunyoung asks, reaching for her phone too to find messages waiting for her. She goes silent as she reads them all and Baekhyun gives Minseok a reassuring smile.

“Only if you want to,” Baekhyun adds, hearing a disgruntled click of the tongue from Sunyoung. “If you’d rather do something else, we understand.”

A few seconds go by before Minseok sighs, shrugging, before pocketing his phone. “I don’t really have much planned. I’m really just in town for the conference.” His smile is small though, when he looks back to Baekhyun. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen Kyungsoo though.”

Baekhyun reciprocates it, reaching out to pull Minseok in with an arm around his shoulders. “Yeah, he’d be excited to see an old friend.” He eyes Sunyoung briefly, who’s shaking her head, before she sighs and releases all the tension in her shoulders. Well, hopefully that’s a good sign.

 

 _Caracas_ is a quaint little café. The scent of coffee beans wafts out the open doors and the customers talk quietly amongst themselves. It doesn’t take long for Baekhyun to find Kyungsoo and their friends and he goes over immediately, gently places a hand on Kyungsoo’s shoulder, before wrapping around his back to give him a quick kiss on the cheek in greeting. It surprises Kyungsoo, making him jump in his seat, and Baekhyun gives him a bright smile when he turns to see who gave him the kiss.

“You scared me,” Kyungsoo breathes out, though his cheeks tint pink afterwards. In front of them, Jongdae and Dahye are laughing but then Jongdae is looking around Baekhyun and falling silent. He quickly stumbles out of his seat at the sight of Sunyoung approaching them too.

“Wifey!” he calls out, earning an eye roll before a small smile. His own smile is bright yet nervous but when he walks up to Sunyoung, he greets her with a kiss on the lips and there are relaxed smiles forming instead.

When Baekhyun turns back to Kyungsoo, there’s an amused expression in his eyes before he’s sending a pointed look to a distracted Dahye, snapping photos of Jongdae and Sunyoung next to them. “We bumped into each other at the market after Jongdae came and met me,” he says quietly, looking away and finally noticing the third party of their group. His eyes widen in surprise before he’s pushing away from Baekhyun and opening his arms out wide, smile bright on his face. “Minseok! I didn’t know you’d be here too!”

The quiet café turns into one of bright chatter and laughter. Sunyoung sits between Jongdae and Dahye, but she’s not even paying attention to Jongdae anymore. She’s talking to Dahye all about her professional photos and songs and it helps bring back a relaxed atmosphere between all of them. Even next to him, Kyungsoo is ignoring him in favor of talking to Minseok and they’ve always been kindred spirits.

Across from him, Jongdae nudges his foot. “Hey, I’m taking the conference went well?” he asks, his silver ring glinting in the sunset.

Baekhyun can’t help but eye it briefly. “Yeah,” he sighs, offering him a small smile. “Same old thing, you know. You didn’t tell me you were going to make the trip.”

“Well, I didn’t want Sunyoung planning this whole thing and leaving by herself right after a late shift,” Jongdae answers with a shrug. He glances at her, a fond look entering his eyes, and Baekhyun isn’t sure why Sunyoung was worried in the first place. “I managed to switch around some shifts, but it’s worth it if she can get some rest too. I figured I’d make sure she could wake up and get ready on time instead of the other way around.”

“Well, aren’t you a sap?” Baekhyun teases, knocking his foot into Jongdae’s own. All his friend does is laugh, but then he’s chancing a glance at Kyungsoo next to him before looking down to his hand. Baekhyun knows what he’s doing and he glares at him for it. “Don’t,” he hisses, making Kyungsoo look over to them curiously.

“I didn’t say anything,” Jongdae answers in response, taking a sip of his tea afterwards. There’s a knowing look in his eyes and Baekhyun sighs in relief when Kyungsoo simply shrugs and looks back to Minseok. But then Jongdae is leaning over the edge of the table, prompting Baekhyun to do the same. “Let’s go to Vegas next time. I’m pretty sure you can get married there without being a citizen.”

And without thinking, Baekhyun smacks Jongdae on the shoulder.

The result is immediate. Jongdae yelps, the entire table turns to stare at him, and Kyungsoo is eyeing them both before staring at Baekhyun like he’s the one who did something, which, in this case, is very true. But Jongdae is staring back at Kyungsoo with wide eyes and he sees Kyungsoo very pointedly ignoring his stare. “You didn’t ask him yet?”

The entire table falls silent at his question and everybody appears to be amused and concerned except Baekhyun. Baekhyun feels confused, wondering why everyone is staring at him and then Kyungsoo. So, in any other situation where Baekhyun feels this confused, he turns to Kyungsoo for some sort of answer. “Soo?” he asks, quietly, hoping his heart is racing in his chest for a good reason. “What didn’t you ask me yet?”

Nobody speaks and nobody moves, except for Dahye who’s taking out her camera and looking through her photos. There’s no expression on her face and Baekhyun doesn’t know what to expect when he feels a hand on his knee and something is placed on the table in front of him. When he looks down, there’s a black velvet box sitting next to his cup of coffee. He swears his heart stops when Kyungsoo squeezes his knee.

“You better not be proposing to me in Barcelona, I swear to god, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun forces out, yelping when Kyungsoo pinches his thigh instead, but he can’t stop. “Kyungsoo, we talked about this. We can’t get married in Seoul and you can’t just spring this on me and expect me to have an answer like five seconds after you ask and–”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, removing his hand on his knee to knock his knuckles against Baekhyun’s forehead. “Well, then I’m not asking you, idiot.” There’s a certain warmth to Kyungsoo’s eyes that not many can see and Baekhyun thinks Kyungsoo might have to do something to him soon if the palpitations don’t stop. “You don’t have to open it now, but think about it? I’d really like to officially call you my husband one day.”

There’s a chorus of ‘aww’ and a series of clicks and Baekhyun really can’t help but gape at his boyfriend before Kyungsoo is grabbing the box again to gently place in his hand under the table. There’s a soft nudge to his foot that helps break him out of his trance, along with Kyungsoo’s pinch to his thigh, and he jumps before whipping his head to stare at Jongdae confused.

“You’re welcome” is all his friend says, before Sunyoung is tugging on his ear and shaking her head at him in disbelief.

“I can’t believe you, Jongdae.”

But then Kyungsoo is leaning in, much like how he does all the time to fluster him, and his lips ghost over the shell of his ear as he whispers, “Jongdae wants credits for accompanying me to the jewelers, even though he didn’t do anything.” He gently squeezes Baekhyun’s knee before he’s pulling away and slipping his other hand onto the table in front of him to show a silver band on his own fourth finger. He doesn’t say anything else, but Baekhyun has always found Kyungsoo’s actions speak a lot louder than his words.

 

Baekhyun is still speechless when they make it back to the hotel. He’s still gripping on tightly to the velvet box in his hand, afraid it’ll disappear if he loosens his grip the tiniest bit, and he watches as Kyungsoo goes about his business. He sits in one of the lounge chairs nearest their chargers and hooks his phone up before grabbing a magazine to read. He’s looking through more restaurants and cafes to try out and Baekhyun suddenly feels stuffy in his suit. He doesn’t have a tie, but he might as well be wearing one with how his throat is suddenly closing up on him. Or maybe he’s having an allergic reaction. One of the two.

“Are you just going to stand there?” Kyungsoo calls, looking up from his magazine to raise an eyebrow at him. “Go change. I’m sure that suit must be uncomfortable by now.”

“Seventy-five percent of physicians get divorced,” Baekhyun stammers out, biting the inside of his cheek, before he’s looking away and to a random spot on the bed. He doesn’t know why he’s being like this, but the fear is eating him from the inside out, like it’s some deadly disease nobody has really found the cure for yet. “Kyungsoo, our class had a ninety percent divorce rate. Those who got married during our clinical rotations ended up divorcing a few years later in residency.”

Baekhyun doesn’t hear the magazine closing or Kyungsoo’s tired sigh. Instead, he hears soft footsteps padding across the carpeted floor, can see a glimpse of Kyungsoo walking towards him, before he feels a hand gently tug the velvet box free of his fingers. It takes more effort than necessary, but Baekhyun’s hand cramps when he finally lets go of it. There’s another hand gently cupping the side of his face, guiding him to face Kyungsoo, and he stares into warm eyes, a gaze that’s reserved only for him.

“We’re not those other people,” Kyungsoo murmurs in reassurance, gently rubbing a thumb along Baekhyun’s cheekbone. It helps him relax, shakily taking in deep breaths to stay calm. “Just because we’re possibly getting married doesn’t mean it’s going to inevitably end in divorce. I love you and I intend to keep those feelings. I intend to stay by your side until you grow old and ugly and you’ll probably still be the most beautiful human being I’ve ever set my eyes on.”

“Then what if an alien shows up and it’s prettier than me?” Baekhyun blurts out, feeling his heart hammer in his chest. “Are you going to leave me?”

“Never is a cursed word,” Kyungsoo answers, though his lips twitch up into a smile at the scenario. “But even if an alien is prettier than you, we have too much history for me to even consider leaving you.”

There are so many questions swirling in Baekhyun’s head, along with random medical facts, and he can’t separate information about _cerebrovascular accidents_ from _is love a blood clot to rational thinking?_ “But,” he mutters, holding his breath when Kyungsoo leans in close, but doesn’t move in to kiss him anywhere. It only makes him stare into his eyes, with nowhere else to look.

“We aren’t a statistic, Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo murmurs. “I know what statistics are. I know what the chances are for a person to survive with a blockage in their heart if left untreated. I know what the chances are for a person to having a heart attack if the EKG done is abnormal. Nothing is a hundred percent guarantee in life, but I _know_ we aren’t a statistic and we _will_ last a lifetime full of marital bliss and all that shit.”

It takes a moment, where Baekhyun searches Kyungsoo’s eyes and takes in his words, before he’s leaning forward and kissing Kyungsoo first. He can feel the surprise in his boyfriend’s reaction, the way he flinches backwards out of habit, but then Baekhyun is pulling him close, making sure Kyungsoo really won’t go anywhere until Kyungsoo is pushing him back against the wall instead. When they part, Baekhyun’s out of breath and Kyungsoo is smiling. “I can’t believe you just called our future ‘and all that shit.”

Kyungsoo laughs. “You know I haven’t really been good with words.”

Baekhyun laughs with him before a smile settles on his lips. He glances down at the box in Kyungsoo’s hand, still closed and still unseen, and then he glances over to Kyungsoo’s other hand on his chest, where his ring shines in the sunset. “Well, what you said is pretty great,” he murmurs, before looking back up to Kyungsoo. There’s still a bundle of nerves clawing it’s way through his chest, but the reassuring expression in Kyungsoo’s eyes and smile is enough for it to simmer down, know that Kyungsoo really isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. “But there’s a chance we won’t be in each other’s lives in the future,” he mumbles, as a last resort.

Kyungsoo lightly slaps his cheek, before he runs his hand down to gently cradle his neck underneath his jaw and behind his ear. “I can’t get rid of your fear, but you know we aren’t a part of those numbers. We’ve always been different than anybody else when it comes to this profession. We’re going to be different than anybody else when it comes to marriage.” But his gaze softens, a certain sadness filling his eyes the longer he stares at him. “It’s possible we won’t be in each other’s lives in the future,” he admits, “But it won’t be because of me.”

Baekhyun doesn’t bring up the possibility of death, tries to force away the memories of the friend he couldn’t save, of the girl from post-partum he couldn’t save, and he looks away until he can steady his thoughts and his heart. He can’t save everybody and everything. It’s something he’s had to deal with every time he’s failed. But if their relationship is on the verge of failing, he should know more than anyone on how to save it. Saving a relationship is similar to saving a life, if both parties are fighting for it, there’s a great chance that life will be saved. And Kyungsoo is fighting for theirs right now, Baekhyun could cry if he wasn’t so scared.

“When did you become so sure of us?” Baekhyun whispers, biting at his lip to try and stave off the nerves bouncing around in his body. He gasps when Kyungsoo gently places his thumb over his carotid artery on his neck, where his blood flows to his brain the most, where Kyungsoo can definitely feel his rapidly beating heart.

“When I started waking up next to you in the mornings,” Kyungsoo answers, just as quietly, smile as soft and fond as the time Baekhyun was busy staring at clothes months ago and he looked up to see Kyungsoo randomly smiling at him, even though he was most likely complaining about the material of the shirt in his hands. “When I started cooking for more than one person without thinking. When I started expecting your texts and your calls and being disappointed when nothing would appear for a full day.” He leans in then, giving Baekhyun a gentle, reassuring kiss on the lips. “And then I would start worrying for nothing when you’d text or call me saying you saw a puppy you wanted to pet or you stopped by the grocery store. I want to be your legitimate husband somewhere on this planet, but only if you’re okay with it. If you’re willing and sure and it’ll make you the happiest man on the earth because that’s all I want for you.”

Baekhyun feels like he might cry, and then he feels something being gently placed in his hand. It’s the velvet box and, yeah, he’s not going to cry because he never cries. “Kyungsoo–”

“You don’t have to answer me now or anytime soon,” Kyungsoo cuts off, before he suddenly looks irritated and pulls away. He rolls his eyes. “I was still trying to figure out a way to suddenly yet nonchalantly say ‘hey, let’s get married, I want to spend the rest of my life with you and only you’ but Jongdae ruined that earlier in the café. Spectacularly, might I add.”

Baekhyun feels his entire body go still, even his brain, and he thinks he might have short-circuited somewhere because he’s pretty sure he can’t keep up with this. The box in his hand feels lighter than it did before, like a weight has been taken off his shoulders, but he still can’t open it to see what the ring looks like. He can’t even look away from Kyungsoo’s face to see if he’s still wearing the ring on his own finger. “What?” he manages to choke out, watching as Kyungsoo turns to face him again. His throat is still choosing not to work, so he simply stares at his boyfriend instead.

Kyungsoo’s laugh is soft and embarrassed and Baekhyun thinks he looks handsome with the sunset backdrop behind him. Is this his imagination? “Well, Jongdae helped me pick out the rings since he’s known you longer than I have,” he admits, before staring at his ring on his finger instead. “They can be considered as couple rings until we have wedding bands. Or I can take mine off too, but I like the idea of solely belonging to you.”

Those words pull something deep within Baekhyun, making him flush with heat unexpectedly. He grips on tighter to the box in his hand. “I like the idea of solely belonging to you too,” he breathes out, gulping when he sees Kyungsoo’s eyes darken at his words. “But give me some time? To process it?”

The darkness recedes immediately and Baekhyun doesn’t know if he feels relieved or not when Kyungsoo moves in, presses him up against the wall, and kisses him senseless. Baekhyun whimpers into it, reaching up with his free hand to slip fingers into Kyungsoo’s hair, and he realizes a bit too late that he’s still wearing the suit he wore to the conference. He really doesn’t want to ruin it before he even finishes the second day of it.

“I’m not pressuring you into anything,” Kyungsoo whispers when they part, taking the chance to leave a teasing lick along Baekhyun’s bottom lip. _Christ_. “You never pressured me into a relationship. I’m never going to pressure you into anything more.”

“Oh,” Baekhyun gasps, when Kyungsoo gently bites on his bottom lip next, before moving away and towards the bathroom. “I’m going to pressure you into the bed tomorrow,” he calls, whining when he hears Kyungsoo’s resonating laughter. “I know that was bad, but how can I compete with everything you just said?”

“You fuck me harder,” Kyungsoo yells back, like it’s an every day conversation with an every day response. “I did sneak in your collar, in case you haven’t noticed.”

Baekhyun drops everything he’s wearing and holding, silently begging his brand new ring to forgive him so early into their blossoming relationship. “Holy shit, you did not. Soo, you’re amazing. Is your asshole fluttering or is that mine?”

“Well, I’m pretty sure it’s mine, but we can make an arrangement,” Kyungsoo laughs back and wow.

Baekhyun is pretty sure he can live like this for the rest of his life.

 

“Thank you to everyone who traveled great distances to attend this conference for the past two days. It’s been a pleasure to have been your guest speaker and I hope that all of you have learned or remembered something new from this experience.”

Baekhyun stands with the rest of the physicians as they all give their applause for the female speaker, watching as she smiles and sends them all a polite bow in return. She’s little more elderly, having had more experience than some of them, and it really has been an informative two days if Baekhyun has anything to say about it. Though, he does sigh in relief once she steps off the stage and it’s completely over. “Now, it’s time to relax,” he murmurs, smiling when he catches Minseok’s relieved smile. “When are you flying back?”

“Tomorrow.”

“I’m flying back in the morning too,” Sunyoung groans, falling back into her seat and rubbing her temples. Her eyes close and Baekhyun offers a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “Jongin is watching our kids so that’s no big deal because they love his puppies, but I have to work in two days and I’m so tired already.”

“Oh, that’s rough,” Minseok comments, offering a lopsided smile. “We should really keep in contact more often. I only remember the oldest one as a baby.”

“They probably miss you and your cat too!” Sunyoung exclaims, but there’s a hint of a smile on her face before she straightens and stands. Now, there’s a teasing look in her eyes and Baekhyun knows what’s coming up next. “I know Jongdae didn’t help matters yesterday,” she says, Minseok coming around to stare and nod at him as well. “But are you two engaged? I gave him a proper scolding when we got back to our hotel.”

Baekhyun stares at her, deadpans, “Before or after you two had sex. I saw Jongdae this morning when he came by to drop you off. He looked like the cat that got the cream.”

“Oh, do we really have to talk about sex out in the open like this?” Minseok groans, running a hand down his face. “I thought we grew past this.”

“Apparently not,” Sunyoung fires back, though there’s a special gleam in her eyes. “After, by the way. We stopped for some gelato as well.”

Baekhyun and Minseok take a quiet, painfully long moment to think over her words before they both groan and throw their hands up in the air. “Oh, why did you have to say that?!” Minseok exclaims, walking away from them now and only prompting them to follow. Sunyoung laughs.

“Jongdae is still a kinky bastard,” Baekhyun mutters, much quieter, but secretly pleased because his ways still haven’t changed since getting married and having children.

Following them, they take the time to grab some smoothies before going their separate ways. Minseok plans to meet up with Dahye to help her with a photoshoot while Sunyoung goes back to her own hotel to finally have time to relax with Jongdae, so Baekhyun does the only logical thing he can think of. He passes by a shop to buy some flowers before he goes back to the hotel, dropping everything when he manages to get the door opened and locked behind him before looking straight ahead to the opened terrace.

Kyungsoo is on the balcony lounge chair in the center, naked, with a hand wrapped around his obviously hard cock and lazily stroking it up and down in uneven beats. The outdoors umbrella attached to the table next to him is open, tilted so it shields most of the setting sun away from their room, and anybody can literally see what he’s doing if they’re in that tall building in the distance.

“Soo?” Baekhyun calls, uncertain with what he sees. He picks up his flowers, carefully tossing them onto a nearby table as he ventures further into the room, and he sees Kyungsoo’s hand stop on an upstroke, thumb sliding over the slit of his dick after. Baekhyun can see a full-bodied shudder and he shudders with him, trying to swallow the lump in his throat when Kyungsoo finally looks over his shoulder at him.

There’s a pretty pink flush to his cheeks. His lips are bitten red and his eyes are dark, clearing the slightest bit when he catches sight of him. “Oh, Baek,” he breathes, sounding like he has no air left in his lungs. “Finally.”

“What do you want me to do?” Baekhyun asks immediately, already loosening his tie and taking off his suit jacket to toss onto the bed. The balcony doors are open and he feels like the heavens are blessing him when Kyungsoo removes his hand to stand up, walking over to him, and tangle a hand in his tie to tug him in for a heated kiss. He groans into it, trying to touch every inch of skin in front of him, and swallows Kyungsoo’s moan when he rubs the pads of his fingers over his nipple.

“I want you to fuck me, hard and fast,” Kyungsoo whispers, moaning when Baekhyun wraps a tight hand around his dick and strokes him fast a few times. It makes his knees buckle, making him grab onto Baekhyun’s shoulders to stay standing, and tries to swat at his arm to get him to stop. “Baekhyun,” he groans, gasping when Baekhyun leans in to place gentle kisses all along his bare shoulders. “I’ve already prepped myself. Come on.”

Baekhyun needs a minute to breathe, but he doesn’t have a chance in hell when Kyungsoo is dropping to his knees a second time during this trip, hastily undoing his belt and pants before pulling those and his underwear down. To be honest, Kyungsoo looks beautiful like this, but he also looks beautiful spread on any surface, pupils blown with lust and moaning his name. “How do you want me?” he asks next, groaning when he watches Kyungsoo climb onto their bed, gorgeous ass on full display in front of him. “I can do with all fours.”

“Well, too bad I want to see your face, asshole,” Kyungsoo fires back and Baekhyun can’t help but laugh, quickly unbuttoning his shirt to join the pile of clothes on the floor.

“Well, I just saw your asshole and it’s the eighth wonder of the world.”

“God, shut up,” Kyungsoo groans, before he’s grabbing the lube off the table and tossing it at him. It hits his head and he whines, wondering how he didn’t see the lube on the table in the first place– oh right, he remembers, because Kyungsoo is naked. “Hurry up and fuck me before I fuck myself on my fingers instead.”

Baekhyun grins at the image in his mind. “That’s not a bad way to get off, though,” he says conversationally, keeping his tie on, because he doesn’t know if Kyungsoo wants to use it tonight or not yet. He doesn’t flinch when Kyungsoo kicks him gently in the side, but he does lose his breath when he catches sight of the ring still on his finger.

“Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo calls gently, bringing him back from his lingering thoughts. His gaze is soft, even if the flush is still high on his cheeks, the tremble in his thighs prominent if he moves his legs the slightest bit. He’s concerned when he shouldn’t be at a time like this and Baekhyun quickly coats his fingers in lube, rubs them together to warm them up, and pauses before he pushes one into Kyungsoo to stare at him curiously. All Kyungsoo does is roll his eyes before he tangles his hand in his tie and pulls him in close again. “I used three fingers and if you make me come before your dick even touches my ass, we are so not– oh,” Kyungsoo shakily breathes out, eyes closing on instinct. His back arches as Baekhyun pushes in two fingers at once, slowly until his palm gently touches the curve of his ass.

Baekhyun can’t help but smile, leaning in close to leave a gentle kiss on Kyungsoo’s parted lips, and waits for his boyfriend to open his eyes again. When he does, he relaxes, wiggling his hips to get Baekhyun to move again. So, he does. He pumps his fingers in and out, slowly, watching every one of Kyungsoo’s reactions as he twists his fingers like he knows he likes, groans when he moves again and does something he doesn’t. It’s a vision he never tires of, watching as he adds a third and fourth finger, before Kyungsoo is moaning shamelessly, telling him to hurry up and “I swear to everything on earth, Baekhyun, if you make me come–”

Within seconds, Baekhyun removes his fingers carefully, looking down to catch Kyungsoo’s asshole clenching around nothing and he _aches_. “Can I?” he asks, a habit that slips out every now and then, because if Kyungsoo doesn’t want something, then he doesn’t want it either.

“No condom,” Kyungsoo demands, making Baekhyun look at him shocked.

“Are you sure?”

“When am I not nowadays?” Kyungsoo answers. The corner of his lips twitch up the littlest bit, making the concern in Baekhyun’s chest deflate as quickly as it came, and Baekhyun sighs into the kiss Kyungsoo gives him, jolting when he feels Kyungsoo’s hand gently grab onto his cock to help guide him to his entrance. “Hard and fast, okay?”

Well, Baekhyun can do that.

It doesn’t take very long to build up a steady rhythm, where Baekhyun makes sure Kyungsoo can feel every drag of his cock along his walls, but his breath stutters when Kyungsoo retaliates by clenching purposefully around him instead. He’s warm and tight, practically sucking him in, and Baekhyun can’t help but thrust a little bit harder, a little bit faster, because that’s what Kyungsoo wants. He wants it hard and fast and Baekhyun makes sure to deliver, pausing just long enough to lift one of Kyungsoo’s legs to rest on his shoulder.

“I love your shoulders,” Kyungsoo suddenly breathes, throwing his head back into the pillows to release a moan. “ _Shit_.”

Baekhyun can’t help but release a puff of air, laughing, as he tilts his head to kiss the side of Kyungsoo’s knee. “I haven’t forgotten,” he mumbles into Kyungsoo’s damp skin, groaning when he clenches around his dick in response. If he could do this every day with Kyungsoo, take him apart thread by thread until he’s an incoherent mess underneath him, he would definitely take up that offer. Switching from physicians to porn stars doesn’t sound like a bad trade-off, especially when there are less lawsuits and less nasty people involved.

Blunt nails leave red marks down his back, Kyungsoo trying to find leverage against him, and Baekhyun gasps as it makes him thrust faster, hips stuttering, because he’s always liked a little amount of pain to go with the pleasure surrounding him. “Soo,” he breathes, hearing his boyfriend whimper in response. Kyungsoo’s eyes are closed, but he opens them when he calls him again, smiling as Kyungsoo instantly leans up to give him a sloppy kiss on the lips.

It’s a clash of lips and teeth, but Baekhyun finds he doesn’t mind, not when Kyungsoo is using his position to rub his cock against his stomach for some form of friction. It’s hot, flaring hotter with each whine that spills from Kyungsoo’s lips, and Baekhyun groans when Kyungsoo suddenly comes between them, spurting white up their stomachs and chests. It surprises Baekhyun with how quick his boyfriend comes, but he keeps fucking him through it, shifting to the side so he can wrap a hand around Kyungsoo’s dick and stroke him through the last few waves of it.

Baekhyun slows as he watches Kyungsoo come down from his high, how he sucks in air like he’s been missing it for years, and it makes the burn in his gut flare once more seeing how beautiful Kyungsoo looks when he’s just come. In his humble opinion, Kyungsoo has always had one of the best orgasm faces he’s ever seen.

“Come on, Baek,” Kyungsoo suddenly rasps out, swallowing afterwards to clear his throat. “I take it back.”

For one heart-stopping moment, Baekhyun freezes entirely. Everything in his mind goes haywire, wondering if this is the moment Kyungsoo breaks up with him, after he’s given him what he wanted and helped him come, but then he reaches for something else underneath the pillow. It’s the red collar to match Baekhyun’s own black one and he chokes when he sees Kyungsoo fasten it on his own neck.

“Maybe we should’ve started with this instead. It always gets you worked up.” Kyungsoo’s smirk is lazy, evil, and Baekhyun should really fuck this weird horny haze out of his normally, well, not weird and horny, boyfriend. “Should I start calling you master for tonight?”

Baekhyun gapes. “How many rounds are you thinking of going? We’re not that young anymore, Soo!”

Kyungsoo snorts, a piece of him coming back into his eyes. “I felt your dick twitch. You’re still impossibly hard.”

“How can I not be?” Baekhyun whines. He gasps when Kyungsoo suddenly rocks his hips down, head knocking back into the pillows from oversensitivity. Baekhyun quickly grabs at Kyungsoo’s hips, trying to still them from moving anymore. “Stop.” Almost immediately, Kyungsoo stills. He’s looking up at Baekhyun with his large eyes and kiss-swollen lips and Baekhyun curses under his breath. What a beautiful sight. “You’ll tell me if it’s too much?” he asks quietly, watching as Kyungsoo’s eyelashes flutter when he blinks at him once.

“You know I will,” Kyungsoo says, before he rocks his hips down again, a moan escaping both of them at the action. “Should I start calling you master now? Or do you prefer puppy for tonight?”

Baekhyun isn’t sure which word starts it, but his hips start moving of their own accord, slow at first and building up speed. He tries to control himself, to watch Kyungsoo’s reactions for any signs of pain, but all he sees is pleasure playing out over Kyungsoo’s face again. His head is tipped back into the pillows, tanned skin bringing out the red of his collar, and Baekhyun wants so much. He wants to ravish him, leave marks of red and purple on his skin that will fade in days, and he whispers just as much, feels the way it affects Kyungsoo as he tightens around him.

With a soft “be good for master,” Baekhyun comes. He stutter-fucks his way through his orgasm as Kyungsoo holds onto him tight, whispers praises and love in his ear, and Baekhyun forgets to breathe through it all. It takes a soft, lingering kiss from Kyungsoo to break out of his post-orgasm daze, finding himself laying on top of his boyfriend trying to breathe in much needed air. “There’s my Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo murmurs, soft smile on his lips.

The red collar is still strapped around his neck, with enough space for Baekhyun’s fingers to fit between it and damp skin, and Baekhyun takes his chance to summon up enough strength to do just that. He can feel Kyungsoo’s heart beat against his fingers, feel the way he hums in content, and Baekhyun leaves a few lazy kisses all along his chest and neck where he can reach. “This collar still looks amazing on you,” he murmurs, smiling when he feels more than hears Kyungsoo’s hum in response. “We should shower.”

“I still think you don’t understand the concept of pet play if you want me to wear this collar,” Kyungsoo says in response, but he’s laughing, pleased, when Baekhyun tilts his head back enough to see his expression. “You love being called puppy.”

Baekhyun groans, “Don’t remind me.” But Kyungsoo’s right. He’s always right and he lets Kyungsoo turn him onto his back. He straddles his hips, trying and carefully keeping Baekhyun inside of him.

“Round two?” Kyungsoo asks quietly, gently rocking his hips back, and _wow what a sight_.

Baekhyun smiles. “Only if we do these under the sheets. It’s getting cold outside.”

 

Baekhyun is currently in the market, for the first time since he’s arrived in Spain, and he stares at all the strange fruit in front of him. They’re nothing like the ones they have in Korea, but some do look familiar enough that he’s seen them through random television shows and magazines. When he leans in close enough, he recognizes the durian almost immediately, scrunching his nose as he pulls away and takes a look around to figure out a game plan for today.

But when he stares at all the people in the streets, talking and laughing and generally having a good time, he finds that Kyungsoo has wandered off somewhere without him, again. Though, it doesn’t really matter. Kyungsoo tends to wander off if anything catches his eye, so it’s nothing unusual. What’s unusual is his phone ringing in his pocket, from a number and a name that spells an awfully lot like Jongdae.

“Have I apologized to you yet?” is the greeting he hears when he answers the phone. His friend sounds out of breath, with a lot of noise in the background, and he looks to the time on his watch to see Jongdae and Sunyoung should be in London by now. “Because I really am, Baek. I know how you are and so does Sunyoung and I didn’t want to unintentionally ruin your relationship with Kyungsoo.”

Affection blooms in Baekhyun’s chest at the words. He’s smiling without realizing, walking through the streets of Barcelona aimlessly, and staring at all the produce and foods that are out in the open.

“Kyungsoo is probably the best thing to ever happen to you, Baek,” Jongdae continues, voice soft. “We can see how much you adore him and how he adores you and nothing could ever compare to your relationship except mine and Sun– ow!”

There’s hushed mumbling and grumbling and Baekhyun can’t help but laugh, jumping when he feels someone touch his back. He turns to see Kyungsoo staring at him curiously with a brown paper bag cradled to his chest. “Who is that?” he asks, before Baekhyun is lifting an arm and Kyungsoo automatically walks up to his side, allowing him to drape his arm across Kyungsoo’s shoulders.

“It’s Jongdae,” Baekhyun answers, taking a peek inside Kyungsoo’s bag to see what looks like vegetables, or is that cake? He gives Kyungsoo his own curious look, receiving a shrug in response. “Hey, Jongdae,” he calls, waiting to hear a distracted hum through the line. When he starts to walk, Kyungsoo follows him, constantly looking at everything else they pass by in the streets.

“I’m sorry, Baekhyun. I asked Kyungsoo if he was absolutely sure, but he got this look in his eyes and I knew he was serious. He’s totally serious about you, Baek, and it’s not like in high school either!”

“Jongdae,” Baekhyun calls, laughing, as he hears the other whine. “Everything is okay. I’m serious about him too,” he teases, surprising Kyungsoo with a kiss on the lips when he turns to face him curiously. When he speaks again, he catches Kyungsoo’s gaze and feels his heart melt. “I haven’t opened the box yet,” he admits, watching as a flash of recognition lights up in Kyungsoo’s eyes. “But I’m pretty sure I will one day.”

There’s a moment of silence from Jongdae, from the hustling and bustling of Spain around them, and Baekhyun knows he’s definitely going to open that box and accept it. Kyungsoo deserves everything in the world and if he wants him, that’s what he’s going to get too.

“Well, I’m glad,” Jongdae finally breathes out, sounding relieved and fond. “I just want what’s best for you, you know? We all do. And I think he’s the best for you. I made sure he passed all the best friend trial tests and everything too. Whatever those are called– he passed.”

Baekhyun laughs. “I’m glad to have a best friend like you then.” He hums as Kyungsoo starts to pull away, quickly moving with him so he doesn’t have to remove his arm around him. “Anyways, thanks for everything, Dae. I’ll talk to you when we get back. Say hi to the kids for me.”

“Oh, they’re going to love hearing that from fun uncle Baekhyun.”

“Thank you, Jongdae,” Baekhyun repeats, quieter, sincerely, chancing a glance at Kyungsoo who’s busy trying to read a restaurant menu on the side of the street. He’s squinting his eyes and might look terrifying to others– he’s anything but.

“Get Kyungsoo to tell you about adopting too, by the way,” Jongdae suddenly says, before he’s yelping and hangs up.

Everything pauses around Baekhyun, freezing him to the core, and he feels like he can’t breathe when Kyungsoo tugs on his hand to get him moving again. Adopting? He looks at Kyungsoo, sees the concerned furrow of his brows, and feels like fainting.

What is Barcelona doing to Kyungsoo?


	2. Chapter 2

If there’s one thing that hasn’t changed since birth, it’s Baekhyun curiosity when it comes to anything, well, interesting. He goes out of his way to find out what’s going on with his family and he goes out of his way to find out what’s going on with his friends. He’ll find out ways to figure out what’s best for everybody, even if it doesn’t include himself, and he guesses that’s why he may or may not be a good physician.

The human body has always interested him, the way chemical reactions form hormones in the brain and the adrenal gland and the way muscles contract depending on the amount of calcium in the body. It’s such a complex system in itself, like computers or that app called Twitter, and it hadn’t changed when he’d met Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo himself is like a complex system, one with the sweetest feelings and most beautiful body, and Baekhyun finds himself wanting to find out more about him each and every day. It’s like he’s meant for him, the way Kyungsoo changes as much as the world around him, and Baekhyun doesn’t think it should be any other way.

He gets to figure out what makes Kyungsoo happy, what makes him snap, and what makes him sad. He gets to figure out which places he’s allowed to kiss to make Kyungsoo gasp, writhe, and moan underneath him. He gets to figure out how he should do things, to show Kyungsoo he still loves him with all his heart, and he ends up walking with Kyungsoo wherever he wants, for however long he wants. He ends up treating Kyungsoo with the most respect he can gather and he ends up thinking about Kyungsoo whenever he has a spare moment, away from patients and the stress of it all. He ends up figuring out that, really, he doesn’t end up doing much, because everything he does with Kyungsoo, for him, comes naturally, out of genuine love and care for his boyfriend. And, well, it makes him giddy with happiness when Kyungsoo shows an inkling of love for him in return.

“Why do you keep staring at me like that?” Kyungsoo mutters, cheeks tingeing pink. He barely glances up, away from the food they’re eating on their hotel room balcony, and Baekhyun thinks Kyungsoo is beautiful in the Barcelona sun. He practically glows underneath its rays and Baekhyun hopes Kyungsoo put sunblock on his face because he surely didn’t.

Without saying much, Kyungsoo holds up a forkful of his pasta and Baekhyun smiles wider, leans forward to taste what Kyungsoo’s having for lunch. “Can I not stare at you like this?” Baekhyun asks anyways, though he’s not sure what expression is on his face right now. He figures it’s the gooey one that Jongdae always stares at Sunyoung with, but he can never be too sure nowadays.

Kyungsoo scoffs but returns to eating his meal again. “You can look at me however you want, but I’m getting embarrassed by the one on your face right now.”

Baekhyun can’t help but laugh, a burst of happiness filling him from the inside out, and he leans forward even more so he can give Kyungsoo a sloppy kiss on the cheek. He almost falls out of his chair at the act, but it makes Kyungsoo smile. The tips of his ears go pink and Baekhyun can’t resist kissing his cheek again, gently, waiting, until Kyungsoo turns and meets him halfway for a kiss on the lips. It’s sweet and chaste, like everything today has been, and then Baekhyun catches sight of the ring on Kyungsoo’s finger.

It still makes his heart race, the blood rush in his ears, but it isn’t as extreme as it was the other day. He’s slept off some of the worry, the inhibitions that naturally come with his mentality of the physician profession, and it just amazes him now with how well the ring fits his boyfriend’s finger. It entrances him like the rings all his friends wear, wonders how one would feel on his own finger, but then he could mess it up. That’s a big commitment that he doesn’t think he can own up to–

“Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo murmurs softly, pulling his attention away from the ring and to him. He’s staring at him with concern in his eyes, an overwhelming love beneath all that, and Baekhyun sighs softly as he leans forward some more, indulging in the gentle kiss his boyfriend gives him. “You keep staring at it too.” He doesn’t say much more than that, but he gently pushes Baekhyun back to sit comfortably in his own seat. He stares at his food pointedly, but Baekhyun can’t find it in himself to eat much more than a couple of bites.

“It’s always caught my interest, you know?” Baekhyun says, conversationally. He’s staring at his food now, pushing it around in his bowl absentmindedly. He hears Kyungsoo hum, to let him know he’s listening. “We’ve talked about this before, about how I just stare at my coworkers’ rings, or our friends’ rings. It’s just fascinating how simple one’s commitment can be laid out bare in the open like that.”

“But how, sometimes, the ring means nothing at all,” Kyungsoo continues, almost reading from a script. “Someone could be wearing their ring but they’re having an affair on the side.”

Baekhyun looks up at that, because that’s true. He’s talked to Kyungsoo about this so many times before–his fascination with jewelry and all its significant meanings–and he knows it’s probably annoying him by now. “I’m sorry,” he blurts out, entire appetite loss. He pushes his food away, along with his water, and stands up. “I’m sorry.” He doesn’t know what he’s doing. Before he knows it, he’s turning away but Kyungsoo’s voice stills him in his spot.

“Don’t run away,” Kyungsoo says, voice soft, firm. “I’m supposed to be the one running away.”

Baekhyun can’t remember the last time he’s seen Kyungsoo run away though. He’s always been in this relationship, committed one hundred percent, but maybe it’s his memory failing him. When he turns back to see Kyungsoo, his eyes are sad and he suddenly remembers one particular fight, where Baekhyun was too stressed out with work, with the overtime his bosses were making him do because Minseok had some sort of personal emergency, and he yelled at Kyungsoo. He yelled at him and called him mean things and _selfish_ when he shouldn’t have because Kyungsoo had been working overtime too. They were both stressed. He pushed Kyungsoo out and Kyungsoo ran away. It wasn’t until Jongdae and Chanyeol intervened that they got back together, over two weeks later.

He doesn’t like it when Kyungsoo’s sad.

“Baekhyun, don’t run away from me.”

“I’m not.” Baekhyun flinches when Kyungsoo glares at him, making him push every denial to the back of his head. “Kyungsoo,” he starts again, turning to face him. His heart is speeding, but he can’t help it when Kyungsoo’s gaze softens, the ring glinting in the light when he isn’t even doing anything with it. “You deserve the world.”

“What if you’re my world?”

Baekhyun’s heart slams in his chest, the air knocked out of him, and he thinks to the small black velvet box, sitting innocently on his bedside table in the room. He hasn’t opened it, but he’s stared at it every night since he’s received it. It’s only been two days, but it feels like it’s been an eternity, or maybe just yesterday.

“Baekhyun, you’re my world,” Kyungsoo says again, louder, pushing his own meal away to stand up. He takes slow steps towards him, but Baekhyun can’t find it in himself to move, to run away, but does he even want to? “I’m not going to force you to wear the ring or to marry me somewhere in this world, but I want you to know that you’re my world. I’ll date you for however long you want to date me. If you end up wanting to break up with me, then I’ll accept that because that’s what you want.”

“I don’t want to break up with you,” Baekhyun murmurs, feeling his heart rip to shreds at the mere thought of it. He feels like crying at the thought of waking up alone in bed, cooking breakfast by himself, going on late night ramen runs by himself. “I don’t want to be here without you in it.”

The smile that blooms on Kyungsoo’s face is one of relief and love, taking those few more steps to wrap arms around Baekhyun’s waist and kiss the corner of his lips. “I don’t want to be here without you either,” he says, softly, quietly. It’s instinct for Baekhyun to kiss Kyungsoo right after, a habit after he feels a kiss on the corner of his lips. “You and I know a ring like this is meaningful. It has a significance that means devotion and care and love with the person we share it with. I wear this ring because I always think of you. It’s intended for you alone and I even got your name engraved on the inside of the band and–”

That stops Baekhyun’s brain, all the thoughts flying around in his mind vanishing into thin air. “Wait, what?”

Kyungsoo cuts himself off, staring at Baekhyun confused, but then he’s laughing and pulling away. He tugs at his ring before it’s sliding off and he’s holding it up in front of Baekhyun. Baekhyun has to pull back a bit to focus his vision on the words engraved in script and he gapes when he sees the words _Byun Baekhyun’s Love_ on the inside of the ring. “I didn’t know what you’d have want, but I figured this was cheesy enough,” Kyungsoo confesses, before Baekhyun is grabbing the ring to read those words over and over again. “Jongdae thought it was cheesy enough anyways.”

“Jongdae is the definition of cheese,” Baekhyun comments, feeling how smooth the ring is between his fingers, how he can feel the indentions of the words when he rubs his thumb over them. “I don’t know if he was the best choice for words.”

“Yeah, well,” Kyungsoo says with a shrug, though he sounds amused. He stands there, holding a hand out palm up for when Baekhyun is done with his ring, and Baekhyun thinks about it all. He thinks about Kyungsoo calling up Jongdae when they’re at work, deciding on a time and place to meet, and shopping with him solely in mind. He thinks about Kyungsoo taking forever, trying to decide what best fits _them_ , and Baekhyun’s heart clenches at the thought.

Baekhyun thinks about it and he stares at Kyungsoo’s hand. His right one is in front of him waiting but he glances to his left hand instead, hanging by his side. He thinks about it and he reaches for it. He reaches for Kyungsoo’s left hand, gently holds it in his own, and plays with his fingers before he slips the ring back onto his fourth finger. He hears Kyungsoo gasp, can feel his own heart pounding in his chest, and when he looks up, Kyungsoo is staring at him dazed. He hopes that’s a good thing. “As long as we remember the meaning behind this ring, it should be okay,” Baekhyun murmurs, staring back at him, because there’s an inkling of fear still in his mind trying to take over the rest of his feelings instead. “Right? I love you and I’d do anything for you, Kyungsoo.” He needs that reassurance. He needs to know this is going in the right direction. He freaks out when Kyungsoo starts to tear up instead. “Wait, wait, Kyungsoo–”

“You still freak out when I start to cry,” Kyungsoo laughs out, flipping his hand around to grab a hold of Baekhyun’s. A tear slips when he shakes too much and Baekhyun feels so warm, reaching out with his other hand to wipe it away. Kyungsoo closes his eye, smile lighting up his face, and he’s _cute_. “I love you,” he says, opening his eye again and holding up their hands, the ones now laced together and showing off Kyungsoo’s ring. “And I think I just fell in love with you all over again.”

Baekhyun can’t help the smile that lights up his face, feeling like he’s free and loved and _soaring_. What the fuck? Kyungsoo’s so _cheesy_.

But it feels like a step in the right direction.

 

There is possibly no way to prepare for the beauty of the Gothic Quarter. Baekhyun doesn’t even know what’s so special about it–only has seen some pictures of it–, but stepping foot on cobblestone pathways and seeing all the unique architecture up close is stunning. There are tall arches and thin alleyways, tourists wandering the streets just like them, and Baekhyun can’t help but push Kyungsoo up against one when there’s no one around. He takes a moment to stare at him, to see the pleasant surprise in Kyungsoo’s eyes, and then kisses him to hide the smile on his face. It’s probably not the most appropriate of times, but nothing is ever appropriate when it involves them… right?

Baekhyun can feel the smile against his lips, laughter bubbling in Kyungsoo’s chest, but when he pulls away, Kyungsoo is reaching around his waist to slip his hands into the back pockets of his jeans to keep him close. “Byun Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo murmurs, amused, tugging him a little closer. “What are you doing?”

“It seemed like the time and place to push you up against a wall and kiss you senseless,” Baekhyun answers easily, laughing, when Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at him. “I guess I didn’t kiss you senseless though.”

“When do you ever kiss me senseless?”

“Ouch.”

Kyungsoo laughs, removing his hands from his back pockets, before he pushes him away. “If anything, I think I’d be the one to kiss you senseless.”

This time, Baekhyun rolls his eyes, but he reaches forward anyways to grab Kyungsoo’s hand and lace their fingers together. He pulls him out of the alleyway, to see they’re in some random corner of the Quarter, and he looks around before he’s leading Kyungsoo in another direction. “You know I kiss you senseless at least seventy percent of the time,” he retorts, hearing Kyungsoo’s snickers behind him.

“Again with the statistics,” Kyungsoo teases, though Baekhyun doesn’t pay it any mind. He knows he has a thing with statistics, but he can’t concentrate on that when he accidentally walks into one of the main squares, where there are other tourists wandering around and pictures being taken everywhere. This section of the Gothic Quarter is as pretty as the last and Baekhyun is having a hard time comprehending how someone, perhaps a group of people, was able to create something this pretty.

There are unique shops hidden into the walls and there are balconies he’s seen in movies where someone is dramatically smoking a cigarette against the railing. Some arches are larger than others, providing walkways to those on the second floor of the surrounding buildings, and Baekhyun can’t help but follow after Kyungsoo this time when he leads. He’s taken through more narrow alleys before they reach the cathedral. It’s towering, impressive, with multiple arches and spires and Baekhyun gapes at it.

Next to him, Kyungsoo has pulled out his cell phone to take pictures of everything. He snaps photos of the cathedral and probably some of him as well and Baekhyun gasps when he’s suddenly tugged forward. Kyungsoo is shoving his cell phone at his chest next and Baekhyun looks down before looking back at him. “Come on, you’re better at taking pictures of us.”

It takes a moment for the words to click, but then Baekhyun is grabbing Kyungsoo’s cell phone and holding it up in front of them. He smiles, trying to get their best angles with Kyungsoo moving against him, and he snaps a few good ones before he’s letting Kyungsoo scroll through them all. He looks around their surroundings once more, taking in the natural beauty of Barcelona, before looking over Kyungsoo’s shoulder to see the pictures too.

“Oh, send me that one,” Baekhyun suddenly says, reaching out to swipe right to find the one he likes. “I’ll put that one on Instagram.”

“I can’t believe you still use that,” Kyungsoo murmurs before he’s doing as told, quickly sending it to him. “Shouldn’t you have outgrown that and stuck to Facebook?”

Baekhyun scoffs, taking out his own cell phone from his pocket to check his messages and save the picture. “I don’t even _use_ Facebook, Kyungsoo. That’s you.” He laughs when Kyungsoo elbows him in the side. “Besides, I have a million and one followers and they think we’re cute together.”

“Yeah, right,” Kyungsoo mutters, but he leans into his space anyways, peeking at his phone. “You lie. You only have nine thousand.”

“Nine thousand and five hundred, excuse you,” Baekhyun corrects, though he smiles when Kyungsoo suddenly kisses him on the cheek. “Let me post this and we’ll go get snacks.”

Kyungsoo hums in response. He lets go of his hand, Baekhyun looking up briefly to see Kyungsoo with his phone out again and watches as he walks away to get more pictures of the cathedral up close. Baekhyun follows after him, not wanting to leave him alone, as he thinks up of a quick caption and posts the picture of them together. Everyone may know they’re dating and think they’re cute together, but he’s pretty sure a majority of his followers follow him because they’re also two hot young doctors.

“Excuse me!” a little child calls out, and Baekhyun looks up just in time to dodge a little girl running towards him. She yells out an “I’m sorry, mister!” before turning around a corner and disappearing from sight. It lights a bulb in his head, remembering what Jongdae had told him the other day, and he looks over to Kyungsoo with wide eyes. Kyungsoo is still taking pictures, minding his own business, but then he catches his gaze, wonder and awe turning into concern.

“What is it?”

“Jongdae told me you were thinking of adoption?” Baekhyun asks, blunt and straight to the point. He doesn’t know how else to go about it. But by the way Kyungsoo’s own eyes widen, now might not be the best time to have this conversation either. “We don’t have to talk about it now, but do you want children? I didn’t think you’d want any after your pediatric rotation in medical school. That’s why I never brought it up.”

Kyungsoo bites his lip and Baekhyun panics when he realizes it’s true. “Wait,” Kyungsoo says, before he can even say anything, but he’s looking away now and to the ground. “I mentioned it once to Jongdae when I saw him at the grocery store with his two kids.” He sighs, fiddling with his phone case, and Baekhyun sighs softly, smiles, as he walks towards him and picks the phone out of his hands. It makes Kyungsoo look up, eyes wide. “We watch Mongryong when we can and I think it’s nice. He’s kind of like our son when he stays with us, but then I thought about having a baby girl or a baby boy and how nice it’d be to wake up to see you feeding him or her or playing with him or her and I don’t know. Having kids is as big as a commitment as marriage and,” Kyungsoo trails off, lowering his gaze again. He doesn’t need to say it. It makes Baekhyun’s heart break. “Why does Jongdae ruin everything?” he whines, stomping his feet once in annoyance.

Baekhyun laughs softly at that. He leans over a little bit to the side trying to catch Kyungsoo’s gaze before straightening back up when he meets his gaze. “I think having children with you would be so wonderful,” he murmurs, watching as the tension eases from Kyungsoo’s shoulders bit by bit. He knows Kyungsoo had a rough pediatric rotation, couldn’t really handle all the crying and obnoxious kids along with the critical condition ones– _he was so young, Baekhyun, I couldn’t_ –, but Baekhyun has always been good with them. He has to be when he’s an ER physician and half his patients are children. “I think having more puppies with you would be wonderful too, but do you think we’re ready for that?”

Kyungsoo sighs. “I know I said I didn’t really want children, but that was back then.”

“Then–”

Somebody suddenly screams and they both jolt in place. They look around quickly, searching for the source, and Baekhyun finds it when they see a man lying on the ground and a woman screaming for help. Instincts take over, Baekhyun’s professional side rushing to the front of his mind, and he hands Kyungsoo his cell phone back as his boyfriend dials the paramedics. He runs to the pair, where a small crowd is gathering, and he barely gets out an “ER physician, Dr. Byun” before he’s trying to assess the patient.

The man still has a pulse and he’s breathing, but he’s not waking up. Baekhyun can hear Kyungsoo’s voice in the crowd, coming closer and speaking in English, but he can’t register what’s going on before he switches to Korean. “The wife says he was feeling dizzy and said he needed to sit down,” Kyungsoo informs. “They were coming to the cathedral to find a place to sit when he just collapsed. Paramedics are on their way.”

Baekhyun keeps a close eye on the patient, monitoring his heart rate through his carotid artery, and he watches as Kyungsoo does the same on the other side of his neck. Baekhyun checks his pupils, opening his eyes one at a time to see them still reacting to the sunlight, but the man still doesn’t move. “I think he just fainted,” Baekhyun murmurs, looking around for some water. “Maybe he got dehydrated. Worst case scenario has to do with the brain, possible CVA and all that.” He listens as Kyungsoo translates it for the woman before he hears an “I’m a heart doctor, Dr. Do.”

There are more conversations around them, but Baekhyun tunes them out. He has to tune them out when he’s working or else he wouldn’t be able to get anything done. He feels the man’s chest, to still feel it moving up and down with his steady breaths, and he waits until the paramedics get there. They wrap a c-collar around the patient’s neck to protect his cervical spine and slide a backboard underneath him for his back before hooking him up to a monitor to watch his vital signs. They transfer him to a stretcher next before he’s being thanked along with Kyungsoo and then the whole team disappears from view, all within a matter of fifteen minutes.

The rush of adrenaline fades from Baekhyun’s veins, making him more tired, wanting more food, and he turns to see Kyungsoo staring at him. There aren’t any discernable emotions in his eyes and Baekhyun can’t tell if that’s a good thing or not. Though, by the way Kyungsoo reaches out to poke his chest, right over his heart, before he’s turning away again, he guesses it’s a good thing.

“If you want children, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun suddenly calls out, watching as Kyungsoo stills before he’s looking over his shoulder at him. His heart is still racing, from the medical emergency, from everything Kyungsoo, but this is his dream too. He doesn’t care about the lingering crowd around them. They can’t understand what he’s saying anyways. “Then I want at least a boy and a girl.” He knows he should wear the ring before any of this happens, but it’s really only a matter of time by now. It also helps to see warmth bloom on Kyungsoo’s face and happiness radiating from his smile.

“I’ve always wanted a baby girl,” Kyungsoo answers and when he simply stands there, waiting, Baekhyun rushes to him. The crowd around them finally disperses and Baekhyun can’t hide the smile threatening to split his face in half, especially when Kyungsoo reaches out to lace their fingers together. “Did you want a big family?”

Baekhyun has always thought about having more than two kids, to make future parties fun and the house they live in warm and alive with life, but that might be overwhelming for his boyfriend. So, he shrugs instead, lets Kyungsoo tug him away to see another part of the Quarter. “We can talk about it later.”

 

 _Lasarte_ certainly lives up to all the reviews he’s read. The service is exquisite and the food is divine and Baekhyun watches in amazement as Kyungsoo moans and groans about the food they receive like its making love to him instead of, well, him. It’s slightly disturbing yet slightly erotic and Baekhyun is re-evaluating all his life choices by the time they’ve finished their meal and they’re leaving the restaurant.

“I love food,” Baekhyun informs, though that isn’t anything new to his boyfriend. He still can’t stop staring at him, at the pleased smile on Kyungsoo’s lips and how he’s probably texting his mother right now saying this restaurant really _is_ as great as it sounds. “Like I love food possibly as much as I love you–”

“Oh, you know I love food as much as I love you.”

“But sometimes I wonder if you love food more than you love me,” Baekhyun finishes, raising an eyebrow as his boyfriend chuckles and looks back at him, embarrassed. “Right,” he drawls, still staring at him in disbelief, but then he’s laughing when Kyungsoo doesn’t even try to deny it. “You’re something else,” he says, between laughs, flinching when Kyungsoo starts hitting him on the shoulder instead. “Kyungsoo, come on. We just ate and had the time of our lives at one of the best restaurants in the world.”

“I know,” Kyungsoo yelps, when Baekhyun reaches out to poke him hard in the side. “So shush. Let me bask in the after-meal glow.”

Baekhyun laughs but does as told, reaching out with an arm to wrap around Kyungsoo’s shoulders. He lets his hand hang there, feeling Kyungsoo reach up with his own to tangle fingers with his, and he can feel the chill of the ring against the warmth of his palm. It still brings the initial panic, seeing or feeling it, but as the chill of it quickly fades to warmth, so does the panic in his chest.

He forgets about it as they walk through the streets again, trying to walk off all the food and drinks they’ve ingested so far, and he thinks this is the most exercise he’s done since coming to this country. He’d usually try to find time to work out in the hotel gym, but how can he when he’s in Barcelona with Kyungsoo at his side? They turn on another street, where a few more performers are out and about singing and playing various instruments, and he stills when Kyungsoo does when he gets distracted by a female singer. Her voice is pretty, definitely a talent that should be shown, and Baekhyun watches as young children run up to place money in the hat in front of her.

Kyungsoo wiggles against him. Baekhyun’s too busy trying to understand the language the woman is singing to pay him any mind, but then he feels a hand being pushed into his stomach instead. He looks down to see a loosely curled fist before looking over to Kyungsoo, who isn’t even staring at him. He reaches out with his free hand to catch whatever he’s giving him and he watches as a ten-euro bill falls out of his hand and to his. It’s a silent request and Baekhyun disentangles himself from his boyfriend to make his way through the crowd and to the woman in front.

When he drops the bill in the hat, he’s surprised to see the woman smiling at him, beautiful and charming, before she holds a hand out for him. Baekhyun looks back briefly, to find Kyungsoo in the crowd, and he searches his face for any explanation before Kyungsoo simply shrugs. Baekhyun looks back to the woman in front of him, stares at her hand for a moment, and then he takes it. He’s surprised to be pulled into an impromptu dance.

The crowd around them whistles and applauds, enjoying the show, and Baekhyun tries to lead her when she slows down the pace for him. He can’t understand her words, but he hums along to them, taking the chance to search for Kyungsoo again. He finds him lingering in the back, smiling, and there’s such a warm expression in his eyes and it makes Baekhyun’s heart speed up. He turns back to the woman in his arms and he realizes she’s small if she’s not standing on her little platform performing.

The song slowly comes to an end, the woman smiling all around, and Baekhyun can’t help but finish it with a flourish, taking her hand and letting her twirl away before coming in close again. He laughs with her when she complies and he does the gentlemanly bow when she steps away from him. She curtsies and Baekhyun thanks her for the show.

“You and your boyfriend are cute,” she says in accented English, and Baekhyun looks back at her surprised. “Next time, you two should dance for the crowd to see.”

Baekhyun smiles at her gratefully before he’s saying “thank you” again. She gives him a small wave and when he turns around, he realizes she’s waving to Kyungsoo instead, who’s come up to him with warm eyes and a barely there smile on his face. He’s waving at her too, so she blows him a kiss and Baekhyun watches as Kyungsoo’s cheeks slowly tinge pink and one of the brightest, and possibly most embarrassed, smiles grows on his face. He quickly takes Baekhyun’s hand, ducking away from showing the girl his face, and pulls him away.

“Oh my god, you’re so adorable around women,” Baekhyun blurts out, laughing when all Kyungsoo does is spin on his heels and hit him in the chest.

“I’m not the natural charmer like you,” Kyungsoo hisses out, hitting him once more, probably because he feels like it. But Baekhyun doesn’t even feel affected, still laughing, as he pulls Kyungsoo in by their joined hands. He reaches out with his free hand to slide fingers into Kyungsoo’s hair, gently cradling the back of his neck, and brings him in close for a gentle kiss to his temple. “See,” Kyungsoo whines, squirming away from Baekhyun, and his cheeks look impossibly red by now. “Stop that.”

Baekhyun laughs, “I’m just showing my affection for you,” before he flinches when Kyungsoo unleashes a fury of attacks on his chest and arm. “Ow, ow! I’m gonna need Chanyeol or Sunyoung to patch me back up by the time we get to Korea.”

It takes a few more hits, where Kyungsoo tries to release all the embarrassment he feels with each one, and then he’s calming down, huffing, as he pouts at Baekhyun. It’s a rare sight and it tugs at Baekhyun’s heartstrings. He coos at him, which earns him a weak punch to the stomach, but then he pulls Kyungsoo in close to him again and brings him in for another kiss on the lips. He feels Kyungsoo melt against him almost immediately and he smiles when he breaks the kiss to see how his boyfriend is faring.

“I hate you,” Kyungsoo murmurs, though his entire body feels relaxed in Baekhyun’s arms. “Let’s go back to the hotel.”

 

Baekhyun’s in the middle of washing up and getting ready for bed when he hears his phone ring from the other room. It rings for a few seconds before it stops and Baekhyun walks out of the bathroom, drying his hair with his towel, to see who’s calling him so close to midnight. He can hear Kyungsoo’s soothing voice and he turns the corner to find him curled up on the couch, with the television on and muted in front of him.

“Who is it?” he asks, watching as Kyungsoo gives him a small smile, before his phone is being held up in front of him.

“Minseok.”

Baekhyun frowns, looking down at his phone to see that it really is close to midnight, before he puts it up to his ear. He lets his towel hang around his shoulders as he sits next to Kyungsoo on the couch. “Hello?” he says, feeling Kyungsoo move next to him, before he’s getting up and going into the bathroom next. “Minseok?”

“Hey, Baekhyun” comes Minseok’s soft voice. He sounds tired, and Baekhyun’s never been good with different time zones. “I’m sorry. I thought I woke you guys up.”

“No, it’s okay,” Baekhyun reassures, shaking his head at the television. He settles back, bringing his feet up to tuck underneath him on the couch. “Why did you call? What happened?”

There’s a soft sigh, one that sounds defeated, and Baekhyun frowns once more. He listens and waits, hears Kyungsoo moving around in the bathroom. “I don’t have many friends over here, you know?” Minseok murmurs, quietly. “Well, I have a lot of friends, but none I can really talk to with my problems or whatever.”

The frown on Baekhyun’s face slips into a small smile instead. “Well, I’m always here for you to talk to. What’s up?” He thinks back to their recent conversations, wonders what the topic of this one is going to be.

“I usually talk to Yifan, but this is _about_ Yifan and,” Minseok cuts himself off, makes an aggravated noise, before he’s spilling everything out. It catches Baekhyun by surprise. “So, when I broke up with that girl who wanted me for my money, I kinda just threw myself into my work. It’s typical, right? Most physicians do that when they get divorces and everything, but Yifan was the one who coaxed me out of my stress-induced life. He forced me to give up certain shifts so I can take a break and just stay with him in his café in town. It worked out fine since I could still have my coffee, but then without realizing it, we just ended up hanging out more than usual.”

Baekhyun smiles in amusement at the story. He remembers meeting Yifan a couple times over the phone and through Skype, when Minseok first moved over there. He was one of the first people to welcome Minseok into a completely new environment.

“Anyways, yeah, it’s been a couple of years since then and I _know_ Yifan is a good guy, but he wants something more than the friendship we have. I haven’t really considered it except for the occasional, ‘wow, this hug is really nice’ or ‘you’re really warm’ since, you know, Canada can get pretty cold and–” Minseok whines, making Baekhyun actually laugh at his predicament. “Hey! I’m trying to tell you all my problems. Don’t laugh at me, brat!”

“It just sounds so familiar,” Baekhyun ends up spilling, laughing still, when Kyungsoo comes out of the bathroom and gives him a weird stare. “Why haven’t you gone to Jongdae about this? I thought you were closer to him than we were.”

“Because he told me to suck it up and start sucking Yifan’s dick and I told him I may or may not have already and–”

“Holy _shit_ ,” Baekhyun hisses, causing Minseok to whine from the other end. Are they all really in their mid-thirties? “You did? Isn’t he massive?”

Kyungsoo stills next to him, glaring at him, but Baekhyun waves him off in favor of listening to Minseok’s entire life story. For such a quiet guy, he’s had an adventurous life.

“This is why I stopped talking to Jongdae about it,” Minseok answers with a groan and Baekhyun swears he hears something slap on the other end of the line. “But, to answer your questions, he is impressive.”

“Then why the hell are you calling me about this? Go fuck him like your life depends on it.” Baekhyun winces when Kyungsoo slaps his knee before he settles in next to him and leans in close, trying to listen in on the conversation as well.

Minseok won’t stop making embarrassed whines. “I _want_ to, but he wants a long-term thing and even talked about marriage. I don’t even know if I’m ready for that–we’re not even dating.” He sighs. “What if he wants me for my money too?”

Baekhyun looks to Kyungsoo at that, because that’s another issue with being a physician. Nobody ever knows if they’re being used for their money and, really, everything about this profession is so difficult. “What if he wants you for you?” he questions back, hearing Minseok groan again. “Seriously, though, Seok. What if he wants to try it for you? How long has he been wanting to date you?”

“I don’t know,” Minseok mumbles. “A year, maybe.”

Baekhyun instantly pulls the phone away when Kyungsoo groans, loud and annoyed. He yelps when Kyungsoo tackles him to the edge of the couch to grab his phone instead. “Don’t be like Baekhyun,” he says into the receiver. Baekhyun shouts, “hey!” at him in protest. “If he’s serious, he wouldn’t be trying to woo you for a year.” He puts the call on speakerphone and Baekhyun struggles to breathe with Kyungsoo pinning him against the couch’s arm.

“But that doesn’t matter,” Minseok says quietly.

Kyungsoo snorts. “Then what all has he done to try and get you to date him?”

Minseok’s voice stays quiet when he speaks, and Baekhyun can’t help but reach a hand out to cup Kyungsoo’s waist when he slides back to let him sit up. He slips his thumb underneath Kyungsoo’s shirt, to feel the warm skin there. “He brings me coffee at work and tells me all the mocha cakes in the café is _on the house_ every time I go there. He picks me up if I’m too tired to drive or something and I don’t know,” Minseok sighs. “He’s just so nice to me ever since I first moved here.”

Baekhyun immediately looks to the ring on Kyungsoo’s finger, where his hand is splayed on his shoulder to keep his balance, and his heart does funny flips when he thinks about it. “Have you ever talked about both of your feelings?” Kyungsoo asks, moving his hand, and Baekhyun follows it with his gaze before he looks to Kyungsoo. He’s staring at him, wondering.

“Once,” Minseok mumbles. “But we were drunk ‘cause I had a bad week.”

“And?” Kyungsoo prompts and Baekhyun thinks to the ring on his bedside table.

“I don’t know,” Minseok says. “He’s such a huge cheeseball, said I was the most gorgeous person he’s ever seen in his thirty-six years of life. God, we’re old.” Kyungsoo snorts at that. “But he said that girl was a fool for only using me for my money and I told him I didn’t care because I thought she deserved everything she wanted. It just wasn’t _me_ that she wanted. He got so mad at that. I think he broke a table or something at the bar–that’s still fuzzy to me.”

“He cares about you,” Baekhyun murmurs, speaking louder when Minseok hums in confusion. “He cares about you and you’re already doing the nasty with him. I bet all those hang outs have been dates but he’s just not saying it as such because you’d freak out.”

Minseok whines before he groans, some weird mixture of sounds to say his approval, and then he’s sighing. “He’s so nice to me,” he mutters, barely audible over the phone. “He deserves someone more than a broken person.”

“Oh, stop being dramatic,” Baekhyun says, a bit harsh, surprising Kyungsoo. “You’re a wonderful person too, Minseok. You deserve someone as nice as him. I think it’s about time you date someone who puts you above everything else. If he ends up dating you for something else other than you, immediately tell us so me, Kyungsoo, Jongdae, Sunyoung, and Chanyeol can fly over there personally and beat him up.”

There’s silence from the other end, where Kyungsoo and Baekhyun look to the phone curiously, worriedly, to see if Minseok’s hung up, but he hasn’t. He’s still on the line and is quiet and Baekhyun wonders if he said too much. He doesn’t stop though.

“You’re wonderful, Minseok. Stop thinking so lowly of yourself.”

“Is that why you won’t wear the ring Kyungsoo bought you?”

Everything inside Baekhyun freezes. He stills, unable to blink or breathe, and his heart pounds in his panic when he feels Kyungsoo move away from him, take the call off speakerphone, and walk outside to the balcony. Does he really think so lowly of himself? He’s always been confident, breaking through the barriers that presented themselves to him, and he used to be known as someone who’s very outgoing, comfortable in his own skin.

He thinks Kyungsoo deserves the world, but is this why he won’t wear the ring? Maybe–just maybe–it’s more than commitment, but he was so sure it’s because he didn’t know he could live up to what that ring symbolizes. It symbolizes a never-ending love for the person it’s attached to. It symbolizes something much more than simple jewelry and he’s seen so many others forgo that meaning for something else, something newer and fresh. It’s disgusting, but he knows he won’t find anybody half as wonderful as Kyungsoo. He won’t be able to think of anything else but how free Kyungsoo’s kiss makes him feel, how the stress just washes away in his presence. He jolts when he feels hands slide over his shoulders, his phone nowhere to be seen.

“Never feel pressured” is what Kyungsoo murmurs into his hair, bending low enough to press a soft kiss behind his ear. “I love you for you and I always have.” He kisses him again. “Wear the ring or don’t. It’s your choice to make. I know you love me as much as the galaxy allows. You don’t need a ring to show it.” Once more. “I’m going to bed. We have to get some souvenirs for the families before packing again. Try and sleep soon, okay?”

Baekhyun thinks he hums a response, but then Kyungsoo is leaving him and turning off most of the lights in the room. The only one that stays on is the one from the television and Baekhyun feels like he’s in a daze. He settles back onto the couch, but he doesn’t even know what’s showing. It’s a blur of colors and it hurts his eyes.

He sighs, quietly, before he turns off the television and finds his way to the bed at the other side of the room. He stands there, staring at Kyungsoo’s sleeping form, the way his chest expands and deflates with each steady breath he takes, and he makes the impromptu decision to grab the small velvet box off his bedside table, a spare blanket from the closet, and go outside to sit on the balcony chair.

He wraps himself as best as he can, shivering slightly in the chilly night air, and he places the box next to him on the table. He doesn’t spare it a second glance, instead looking up towards the stars and moon in the sky, and he wonders how he hasn’t noticed this since they first came here. It’s absolutely beautiful, a rarity in a bustling city like Seoul, and Baekhyun thinks he dozes off staring at each star, trying to figure out what the constellations are. His eyes close but then they open minutes, hours later. The moon has moved over to the other side of the sky and Baekhyun wonders if he’ll ever get a normal sleeping schedule again. He hasn’t had one since his university days.

Baekhyun sighs, tugging his blanket around him closer, and he finally chances a look at the black velvet box next to him. It’s so unassuming, small, but there’s so much meaning behind it. It blends into the night and Baekhyun feels like talking to it, muttering a soft, “Why are you so threatening to me?” Of course, he doesn’t get an answer, but he feels like it’s not really a threat. It’s more of a fear of what this ring could bring if everything goes wrong and he really wishes his training in emergency medicine didn’t bury itself into every other aspect of his life. He wishes he doesn’t think the worst of everything, trying to find the best way possible to make the situation better, and he sighs when he just frowns at the box.

Their vacation has been so good. There have been so many surprises but not once has Baekhyun felt like anything has gone out of the ordinary. Everything feels natural and he still can’t believe Kyungsoo tried to semi-propose to him in public in a foreign city. He groans, hiding the lower half of his face beneath the blanket in embarrassment. He still can’t believe Kyungsoo was out here teasing himself where anyone could see. “Why is Kyungsoo so hot,” he mutters to himself, before looking to the box again. “I hate you.”

Silence answers him and, really, he’s also been mildly curious as to what this ring looks like. It’s only a piece of jewelry, but it’s so important. It always catches his attention on other people’s fingers and it won’t be the end of the world if he chooses to wear it or not. If he did end up wearing it though, all he wants to think about is Kyungsoo when he sees it. It’s been his dream to get married to the love of his life, where he’s so far head over heels for this person there’s no possible way of getting out, and he knows he feels that for Kyungsoo. Even if he gets swamped at work, forgets to eat and loses himself in his patients, he always goes back to Kyungsoo because Kyungsoo is the only one that understands him, the only one he’d love to the end of time. No matter how many people he meets from different countries all over the world, all he can think about is how he wishes Kyungsoo was with him _because he’d love to meet these people too, they’d get along so well together_.

Without even realizing, Baekhyun reaches out for the box. He opens it within seconds and he stills when he realizes what he’s done, the air knocked out of his lungs when he sees the simple silver band nestled within the box. There aren’t any diamonds on it or anything he can see at face value and he doesn’t want to take it out of the box. It looks absolutely perfect underneath the moonlight, but Baekhyun doesn’t understand why his vision is going blurry until he blinks and something wet hits his arm. He looks down surprised before he’s reaching up with a hand to wipe the tears from his face. He sniffles and all he can think of is Kyungsoo, Kyungsoo, _Kyungsoo_.

“Hey, what are you doing out here?”

Baekhyun jumps at the voice, looking over his shoulder to see Kyungsoo standing at the doorway rubbing the sleep out of his eye behind lopsided glasses, and he doesn’t realize he gasps until Kyungsoo’s eyes are widening at him surprised and concerned. Kyungsoo rushes over to him immediately, searching his entire body, and maybe it’s the medical training in him or the fact they care about each other way more than expected, but then he catches sight of the ring in his hands and all the panic eases out of his body.

“Baekhyun,” he breathes with a relieved sigh, eyes softening, as he reaches out to wipe the tears away from his cheeks. His hands are so warm against his face. Baekhyun leans into them, blinks away more of the tears, so he can see him more clearly. “Oh, my Baekhyunnie. I told you. You don’t have to do anything with the ring if you don’t want to.”

The words make him cry even more and Baekhyun shivers when he realizes the blanket has fallen from his shoulders. He whines when Kyungsoo notices, closes the box in his hand, and tugs at him to stand up. The blanket falls completely and Baekhyun wonders how long he’s been out here, whining softly when Kyungsoo grabs the blanket to wrap around his shoulders again. “Come on, let’s go lie down in bed,” Kyungsoo murmurs, guiding him back into the room. Compared to outside, it’s much warmer inside, huddled up close to Kyungsoo in bed with two blankets around him. “How long have you been out there? You’re freezing.”

Baekhyun doesn’t know, but he whimpers something incomprehensible in response. Everything about him feels numb but he finds comfort in Kyungsoo’s lingering touches, except he plucks the box out of Baekhyun’s frozen fingers. “Wait,” he blurts, making Kyungsoo flinch at the outburst. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs again, softer, and he sighs when he feels Kyungsoo card fingers through his hair.

“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Kyungsoo says quietly, kissing the top of his head. It warms Baekhyun from the inside out. “I knew you would stay up, but I didn’t think you’d go outside at this time of night.”

“The TV was hurting my eyes,” Baekhyun explains, mumbles, clinging on tighter to Kyungsoo because now he’s holding the box. “The ring is so pretty.” Kyungsoo doesn’t even pause in his ministrations, trying his best to warm him up, and Baekhyun loves him so, so much. “I love you.”

Kyungsoo chuckles and it’s so attractive. “I love you too,” he answers, removing his hand from Baekhyun’s hair to wrap arms around him. It allows him to open the box in front of them, Baekhyun feeling the air getting knocked out of his lungs again. Kyungsoo pulls it out of the pillowed groove and Baekhyun feels his heart stop next. It would be so helpful if Kyungsoo can start it up again. “I put _Do Kyungsoo’s Love_ on the inside of your ring–you know, to be cheesy and all–but I was also thinking of putting a row of diamonds on your ring or something.” Baekhyun can’t help but snort at that. “Hey, you deserve all the diamonds in the world too.”

Baekhyun quiets down at that, watching as Kyungsoo tilts the ring so he can see the words engraved on the inside of it, and he reaches out to touch it, how smooth and cool it is against his heating skin. He can feel the grooves of the letters and he feels his heart speed when he feels Kyungsoo kiss his temple again.

“It looks so simple, but it’s enough for us,” Kyungsoo murmurs, holding the ring up against his own on his other hand. “We have something special for us on the inside and, I don’t know, I think this fits _us_.”

Baekhyun watches as Kyungsoo puts the ring back in the box. He stares at it, admires how smooth and pretty it looks, and then Kyungsoo is slowly closing it to put it on the bedside table. It’s weird, how disappointed Baekhyun feels in that gesture alone, but he knows Kyungsoo knows what he’s doing. He doesn’t do anything that’ll harm either one of them and Baekhyun bites his lip when Kyungsoo reaches up to gently cup his cheek. He guides him and Baekhyun automatically closes his eyes when he feels lips meet his own.

Baekhyun wants to know what the ring feels like on his own finger. He wants to know if it’ll feel like an added weight to him or nothing at all, but he thinks he can let those thoughts fly away from him tonight, if only to focus on the feeling of Kyungsoo slowly sliding them down the bed, so they’re lying side-by-side. Baekhyun feels dazed, a little bit lost, when he opens his eyes to see Kyungsoo removing his smudged-up glasses to put on his own bedside table.

“Now, go sleep. It’s close to five in the morning,” Kyungsoo whispers, leaning in to leave soft kisses along Baekhyun’s jawline and down his neck. It makes Baekhyun moan, when he nips on a particularly sensitive spot, and he whines when Kyungsoo tangles their legs together and he can feel Kyungsoo hardening against his thigh underneath the blankets. “Ignore that. Go to sleep.”

Baekhyun finds he can’t ignore that, but he tries his best when all Kyungsoo does is slap his hand away when he makes a reach for his cock.

“Go to sleep.”

With a low, annoyed groan, Baekhyun does as told, only to have his thoughts return back to the ring on his nightstand.

 

The morning brings Kyungsoo whining in his ear. They’ve separated in their sleep, where Baekhyun has to look over to see _why_ Kyungsoo is whining in his ear, and he groans, low, deep, when he sees Kyungsoo’s hand moving underneath the comforter. It’s obvious what he’s doing and Baekhyun reaches over to replace Kyungsoo’s hand with his, and kisses all up and down his neck and collarbone until he’s coming in his sleep shorts.

The breath Kyungsoo lets out is one of relief, of gratitude, and Baekhyun grins into the damp skin of his boyfriend’s neck. “God, you’re so hot,” he murmurs, feeling Kyungsoo shiver against him, “Good morning.” He’s hard himself, but it doesn’t matter, not when Kyungsoo is literally glowing right next to him.

“Mm, good morning,” Kyungsoo breathes back, smiling, before he’s leaning over to kiss Baekhyun’s forehead. “Let’s go shower.”

Baekhyun laughs but doesn’t question it, knows it’s gross to come in his pants. He watches as Kyungsoo slides out first before going over to the bathroom and waiting for him, so Baekhyun slides out after him, wincing when everything rubs his sensitive, hard cock in his pants. He doesn’t expect Kyungsoo to fall to his knees in the shower though, to guide his dick into his mouth and suck him off, but Baekhyun finds he definitely doesn’t mind with how much Kyungsoo is moaning and groaning around him like he hasn’t had a meal in days. He braces himself against the wall, trying his hardest not to topple over on top of his boyfriend, but he finds it hard when Kyungsoo reaches out to gently fondle his balls too.

“Holy shit,” Baekhyun gasps out, body trembling, before he comes all over Kyungsoo’s face. It washes away with the wayward spray of the shower and he watches as Kyungsoo sticks his tongue out to lick some of his remaining come off of his lips. “Seriously, we should do a porno.”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes but stands to push Baekhyun back against the wall and kiss him with all the pent-up energy he just built up. “I thought you didn’t want anybody else to see me naked,” he murmurs against his lips, before he’s groaning when Baekhyun moves to kiss along his neck instead. “I’m pretty sure making a porno defeats that purpose.”

Baekhyun groans but doesn’t say anything else. Instead, he reaches out for their shampoo to wash Kyungsoo’s hair and he pampers him while they’re in there. He cleans him dutifully and ends up giving him another handjob instead. Though, it really has been a while since he’s blown him. _Next time_ , Baekhyun thinks, eyeing Kyungsoo’s softening dick, _next time_.

By the time they’re done, it’s close to ten in the morning. They still have some shopping to do as well as find another new restaurant to eat at, but he freezes when he pulls his boxers on and turns to see the small velvet box on his bedside table again. The night before wasn’t a dream and he flinches when Kyungsoo tosses him a shirt and it lands on his shoulder. He looks over to see Kyungsoo not even facing his direction and he sighs as he takes his given shirt and slips it over his head.

He takes his time getting ready, pulling his jeans on and finding his wallet and the hotel key, but when he turns back around to see what Kyungsoo’s up to, he’s surprised to see him holding the velvet box in his hand instead. He’s standing by their bed with it open and Baekhyun feels his heart go into overdrive, palpitations making it hard for him to breathe. “Kyungsoo?”

Kyungsoo isn’t wearing his glasses this time. They’re not going to smudge if he kisses him and it only makes it easier to see the emotions swirling in his boyfriend’s eyes. He can see determination and fear and love pouring out of them and he freezes when Kyungsoo walks over to him. “Why did you sit outside all night last night with the ring?” he asks, stopping just short of him. “Why were you crying?”

His boyfriend looks worried and Baekhyun never likes to worry him. “I’ve just been overwhelmed,” he explains, watching as the expression on Kyungsoo’s face falls into sadness. “I couldn’t really sleep and the TV was too bright, so I sort of just went outside with the ring, you know, to talk to it and all.” He looks down to the box for a moment before looking back up to Kyungsoo. “I was just overwhelmed with love when I saw that ring, Kyungsoo. All I can think about is you and that ring just makes it worse–or maybe better. I see that ring and all I think about is _you_.”

The sadness disappears to leave a soft pink flush across Kyungsoo’s cheeks and Baekhyun watches as Kyungsoo gently removes the ring from the box, placing the empty container on the side table. He takes a step closer to him before he’s kneeling and Baekhyun swears he needs a new oxygen tank soon with how much the air is getting knocked out of his lungs. Maybe Kyungsoo should’ve been a pulmonologist instead of a cardiologist.

“I’m going to marry you,” Kyungsoo says, and it catches Baekhyun so off-guard, he might’ve tripped backwards, but all Kyungsoo does is smile widely up at him. “It’s not exactly a proposal and it’s not exactly a question. Think of it more as a very soft statement you are allowed to deny but I will wallow in misery if you do.”

Baekhyun doesn’t cry. He doesn’t ever _usually_ cry, so he does the thing he thinks is most acceptable in a situation like this. He laughs. He feels a burst of giddiness bubbling within him and happiness radiating from his chest and he holds his hand out as Kyungsoo shakes his head at him in disbelief. It’s almost anticlimactic, the way Kyungsoo slips the ring on his fourth finger without any hesitation, without any problems, but then Baekhyun is tackling Kyungsoo back to the ground. He cups a hand around the back of Kyungsoo’s head, tilting it up, and brings him in for a kiss, because Kyungsoo is so very special and he deserves to have that wide, beautiful smile on his face for the rest of his life.

“You deserve the world,” Baekhyun breathes against him, pulling away to see Kyungsoo smiling, laughing softly with him. He might’ve broken a rib or two in Kyungsoo, but he’s not showing any pain so far. “You deserve the world and galaxy and the entire universe.”

“You’re such a sap,” Kyungsoo laughs, though he relaxes underneath him, hugs him tight around the waist. “But if we’re going with that, you’re my world and galaxy and entire universe. By that logic, I deserve you.”

Baekhyun laughs, all the happiness bursting inside of him at the seams, and he kisses Kyungsoo again and again until Kyungsoo is turning them over instead. He hits his back on the coffee table’s leg, but it’s nothing compared to the way Kyungsoo kisses him senseless. All he can focus on is Kyungsoo, Kyungsoo, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun gasps when his boyfriend pulls away to bring his left hand up to his lips. He kisses the ring on his fourth finger and Baekhyun can live with this every day for the rest of his life.

“Can we leave the hotel now?” Kyungsoo asks, sounding so innocent. “I really wanna show you off wearing that ring.”

Baekhyun can’t stop laughing. So innocent, indeed.

 

“Okay, so, we bought this extra bag to fit everything,” Kyungsoo mutters, glaring at all their luggage they have to take back with them to the airport. Along with their small suitcases and Baekhyun’s extra bag, they have another one to fit all the gifts they promised to bring back to their families. It’s too much and Baekhyun sighs as he stands by the doorway with their things. He didn’t expect they’d buy so much stuff on the last day of their vacation.

“Everything should already be packed away,” Baekhyun comments, tiredly, walking around and taking one last glance of the entire suite. They’ve already fixed the bed, grabbed all their chargers and clothes, and all the bathroom necessities. “There really shouldn’t be anything else, right? We have our phones, wallets, and underwear.”

“Because underwear is definitely important,” Kyungsoo scoffs and Baekhyun rolls his eyes at him in return.

“Anyways,” Baekhyun continues, rounding back to their luggage. He pats his pockets down for his phone and wallet before digging through his carry-on bag for their passports. “I have the passports, right? Or do you have them and I have the check-in stuff? Oh, wait, that’s in our phones,” he keeps mumbling, but he doesn’t even stop when he catches sight of the ring on his finger, even as his hearts speeds at the sight of it and feels the empty velvet box in his bag. “So, we should be good to go.”

Kyungsoo sighs, digging around in his own bag, and slaps Baekhyun in the arm with their passports. “I am officially declaring you holder of the almighty passports,” he says, glaring at him briefly. “Please, don’t lose them like you did last time.”

“Excuse you,” Baekhyun retorts, glaring back at his boyfriend–fiancé?–, before he’s sighing and dropping it as he puts the passports in his bag. “I didn’t lose them. They were in my hand the entire time.”

The way Kyungsoo sighs makes Baekhyun worry. He reaches out to gently cup Kyungsoo’s face and he watches as he immediately leans into his touch, closing his eyes and reaching up to place his left hand on top of his own on his face. Baekhyun can see Kyungsoo’s ring and he reaches out with his other hand to gently cradle Kyungsoo’s head. Like this, he can see both their rings right in front of him and he’s so in love. He kisses him, smiling, and feels Kyungsoo sigh softly against him.

“You know,” Baekhyun whispers, pulling away just far enough to gently nose along his cheek. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this serious about anyone in my life.” Kyungsoo _giggles_ and Baekhyun feels like he’s soaring. “Oh my _god_ , I’m so serious about you, Kyungsoo.”

“Well, good,” Kyungsoo murmurs, reaching up to poke Baekhyun in the forehead. He whines in response but Kyungsoo’s still giggling and he’s _cute_. “Because I’m so serious about you too.” He pokes him again and Baekhyun smiles, so wide that it makes his cheeks hurt. “Now, let’s hurry before we miss our flight.”

Kyungsoo pulls away from him completely to grab one of the suitcases. He opens the door for them and Baekhyun doesn’t hesitate in grabbing the spare bag and the other suitcase before walking towards the door. He stops by Kyungsoo to give him a quick kiss and he gives him a cheeky grin when he makes him laugh, leading the way to the elevators to check out.

It’s a simple process where Kyungsoo does most of the talking again before they’re on their way to the airport. They check in their luggage, only keeping their carry-ons, and Baekhyun searches his bag for their passports. It doesn’t take long, handing them over to the guy behind the computer, and his ring glints in the fluorescent lights.

“Barcelona is always a nice place to have a vacation at,” the attendant says, conversationally, and Baekhyun hums in agreement, grabbing their passports and tickets. “Have a safe flight.”

“Thank you,” Baekhyun says, turning to find Kyungsoo waiting for him a few feet away. He’s looking at all the advertisements hung up around the building and Baekhyun sighs as he walks up to him, throws an arm around his shoulders again and hands him his passport and ticket.

They go through security, search for some snacks in the form of gelato and chips, and then they search for their terminal last. It isn’t very hard to find, but the maps spread throughout the airport distract him. He sees names of high fashion brands that sell some of the watches he likes and he ends up window-shopping for the next hour. He doesn’t buy anything, though he does make mental notes to check out the rest of the brand’s catalogue later.

“I swear you have a thing for watches,” Kyungsoo murmurs in amusement, snorting, when all Baekhyun does is groan in defeat when they finally walk away from a watch that’s everything wonderful and costs more than he’d like to spend at an airport. “Although, they are very attractive around your wrist.”

Baekhyun groans again, warily eyeing his fiancé and remembering what happened the last time they were in the airport. “Please stop speaking like that,” he begs, whining when all Kyungsoo does is laugh. “Last time that happened, it ended up with my pants around my ankles and my bare ass on the floor.”

Kyungsoo laughs, long and loud, and Baekhyun can’t help but laugh along with him. He follows after him, thanking the heavens Kyungsoo is wearing a thicker jacket this time even if it’s Baekhyun’s own, and lets him settle in close to him when they finally make it to their terminal. He relaxes against the uncomfortable chairs and puts his left hand on top of his thigh. It prompts Kyungsoo to do the same, settling his left hand on top of his, and Baekhyun fumbles for his phone to take a picture of it. He wants to post it on Instagram, to show the world that he’s still wonderfully taken by a beautiful man, but he guesses he can just send it to one of his doctor friends instead. He laughs, when he gets three texts minutes later, and it’s from Jongdae.

_You interrupt my post-coital bliss with a picture of a pair of rings? Wtf man?_

_BUT CONGRATS OH MY GOD I KNEW YOU’D WEAR IT TAHT’S MY BOY_

_THAT’S*_

 

 _Jongdae, it’s six in the afternoon over there. I trust your children are with Chanyeol or Jongin_.

 _DETAILS_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i swear i read all your comments and i’m in love with every single one of you
> 
> come scream at me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/xo_thefirst). i don’t bite but i may be awkward ;o;

**Author's Note:**

> this is just mindless fluff, insecurity, bad titles, and sex don’t mind [me](twitter.com/xo_thefirst)
> 
> also, i love baeksoo.


End file.
